An Earthen Vessel – Paul Moore, 2/6/17
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” II Corinthians 4:7 NKJV
Have you ever thought of yourself as an “earthen vessel?” Maybe like a pitcher, a cup, a water bucket, or some other kind of container? We have quite a collection of containers at our house. My wife has a hard time throwing away anything that can be used as a container. A butter tub, a plastic ice cream bucket…you get the idea. It’s not like we don’t have a complete set of Tupperware, we do. But after all, you can’t ever have enough containers, right? In all honesty, I can’t just point the finger at her; I’m about the same. I keep my collection hidden in the basement. Maybe there’s a hidden lesson in not throwing away used containers.
We are God’s containers – different sizes, different shapes, created for different purposes. Some big, some small, some pretty, some not so pretty. God is not as concerned with the outside of the vessel as He is with what’s inside. So, what’s inside of you? The only way to know for sure is to turn you upside down. God has a way of doing that.
The neat thing about being an earthen vessel is just that – we’re just a vessel! It’s not about us; it’s about Him. Vessels don’t have to produce anything, and neither do we. We’re not the substance in the container…God is. We are just the vessel. He is the treasure; we are the container. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels…” Get it?
As a vessel, our greatest challenge is to get empty, so God can fill us up.
There’s a story in the Bible that talks about this very thing. In II Kings 4:1-7, we read about a widow who was about to lose her two sons in order to pay back a debt. She goes to the prophet Elisha to ask for help. Elisha tells her to find as many empty butter containers, ice cream buckets, and flower vases as she can. (Good reason not to throw out those empty containers – ?).
He then told her to take the vessels in the house, shut the door, and pour from a small jar of oil she had left in the house. When she did, a miracle took place! The oil in the jar kept flowing, and flowing, and flowing – as long as she had an empty vessel to pour it into. When she ran out of empty vessels, the oil stopped flowing. Hmmm… could this be the formula for revival?
I love that story, because it ties right into that verse in II Corinthians 4:7. We are the earthen vessels that God wants to fill with the oil of His Spirit. As long as we are empty, He can fill us up. However, the moment we become full – of self, sin, the world, possessions, and other stuff – He can’t pour into us. (Remember, Madam Blueberry’s house in Veggie tales? It was so full of stuff that it toppled over!)
Instead, God waits for us to dump out the junk (called repentance), so He can fill us up. If we empty ourselves, He will pour His love and power in and through us, “that the excellence of the power may be of Him, and not of us.” So, our greatest job is not to try to fill the vessel – but to empty it out!
God is looking for empty vessels that He can pour His life in and through. Are you one of them? If not, I’d like to challenge you to do something: Ask God to show you what’s in your container that’s not of Him. Then, ask Him to help you dump it out. He will!
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18 NKJV
