… even though we may seem to have failed. — 2 Corinthians 13:7b
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about image and credibility.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about his image and his credibility with the Corinthian church. He explains that he and we have treasure (Jesus) in jars of clay (4:7), that as Christians we don’t want to measure people from a worldly point of view (5:16), that the Corinthians were looking at the surface of things (10:7), but that we cannot compare ourselves to others (10:12). He relates his sufferings and his heavenly visions, and explains that he has discovered that Jesus is strong in him when he is weak; therefore, he delights in weakness (12:10). “I have made a fool of myself,” he adds, “but you drove me to it” (12:11).
Despite his defense of God’s work in his life, he realized that some people would never accept him and never understand him (13:7). He adds in verse 9, “We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.”
All of this has been troubling to me. I hate to see people filtered through the mis-perceptions of this world. Many flock to false apostles because they present themselves with slick charisma, while true men and women of God are written off as irrelevant by the church – the very body of believers that should embrace them.
I’ve talked to the Lord about all of this and here’s one thought that I believe He shared with me: All of us are jars of clay. We all have weaknesses. We are all needy, very needy. But we all have treasure. Jesus is in all of us. Jesus has done His work in all of us. In 10:17, Paul gives helpful advice to us all: “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” So there’s our image. To all who will listen, we can boast about what God has done in us. And, to our inner circle, we can be much more open about the jar of clay – our own neediness.
Jesus made Himself of no reputation. David, Job, Paul, Joseph – they all lost their reputations; their contemporaries regarded them as out of favor with God. If you have lost yours, let me encourage you to put it in God’s hands; in the end it will be returned to you.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. Dwight and his wife Kim provide prayer ministry for inner healing / transformation and coaching in prayer ministry. He is available to speak to your group or church. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.