November 12, 2020 - I can remember as a boy, watching the potter at work at the wheel at the old Marshall Pottery. I would stand mesmerized by the skill with which he would throw a lump of clay on the wheel and mold it into a work of art. They made many beautiful pieces of pottery in those days. They made pitchers, butter churns, strawberry pots, pickling crocks among other items. But they also made just plain, red clay flower pots.
It is the red clay flower pot I envision when I read what Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:7. He said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” You and I are in that passage of scripture. We are the plain, red clay pots they made so many of at the pottery. Those red clay pots were nothing spectacular. They were only vessels in which to plant flowers, perhaps a beautiful lily or a magnificent hydrangea or some other flower of God’s creation. With a beautiful flower in the pot, you focused on the beauty of the flower, not the vessel.
We are often easily fooled by containers. Cheap jewelry can often be found in elaborate boxes while expensive perfume may be in a plain bottle. The splendor of God can best be seen in plain settings. We must take ourselves out of the center of the stage so others can focus on the beauty of God. We are just plain, red clay pots.
It’s something to think about…..tbp
Center Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
