“For God has shined in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, in order
that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us.” II
Corinthians 4:6-7
Some years ago, my son-in-law Mike shared a great explanation of the
“earthen vessels” in this passage. He compared them (and us) to Cool Whip
containers!
Now, admit it. All of us keep those emptied bowls with sealing lids for
cheap storage. Don’t deny it. They’re not great to look at. They’re not
fancy or expensive. And none seem to match. But they are 100% utilitarian.
This year I’ve found one in the Christmas tree box filled with replacement
light bulbs. Another one was seen in the fridge with leftover stuffing.
Three of them were piled high on the tool bench labeled ‘nuts’, ‘bolts’ and
‘nails’. And won’t even start to talk about them multiplying in the
grandkids’ toy box for storing Lego’s, pretty pony gear and Barbie
accessories.
We recognize that the intrinsic value is not in the CONTAINER itself, but
the CONTENT. My wife puts a piece of masking tape on the lid or side of
each cool whip bowl, labeling these non-descript containers so we know at a
glance what is in each.
And so it is with the life-changing, soul-saving power of God that He has
given me by His grace. Wonder why all the modern translations have missed
this one? In my personal translation I have this verse sounding something
like, “But we have this treasure in Cool Whip bowls, that the unsurpassed
power is demonstrated to be of God, not because of us.”
Brother, that’ll preach! And as long as we’re talking cool whip bowls, I
need to head out to the freezer for a new one (actually filled with cool
whip, if you can imagine). There’s a piece of pumpkin pie calling my name.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”