You Don’t Need to Be Strong

Hello! Today I am swapping blogs with McKinley, a fellow member of the Young Writer’s Workshop and the blogger at Unhindered Imagination. That means that I’m posting something she wrote on my blog, and she’s posting something that I wrote on her blog.

Enjoy!

“You Don’t Need to Be Strong”

It’s only the first week of the new year. Resolutions are still tightly clung to, but even now it’s getting hard. I’m sure many people are doubtful about keeping this up, all the way through the year. 

Maybe your resolutions are going well right now. You’ve been able to keep good habits, stay away from bad ones, and be an all-around better you. Or, maybe you’ve completely forgotten you even made resolutions. 

Wherever you stand, it’s hard to achieve your goals. It’s so easy to feel unequipped to do it. 

This happens in our spiritual lives too. We often know what the sin we need to fight is, but we feel too weak or inadequate. The thing is, you don’t need to be strong enough to fight your sin. 

YOU’RE A CLAY JAR

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

This verse mentions jars of clay. What does it even mean? If you’re like me, you just skip over that part. 

But, in reality, that’s the coolest part of the verse. Clay jars aren’t exactly strong. On the contrary, they’re easily broken and shattered. But eastern kings used to store their treasures of gold and silver in these clay jars. While the jars themselves are weak and of little value, the treasure inside them is priceless. 

Those feeble jars are us. We’re altogether unworthy of the great treasure of the gospel that we’ve received. Even when we were dead in our sin, even though we are weak clay jars, God sent his Son to die for us. We are weak jars, but we have an incredible treasure. 

YOUR WEAKNESS IS GOOD

Like the end of that verse says, our weakness shows the incredible power of God. 1 Corinthians 12:9 says ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ 

The treasure we have is made perfect in weakness. While the power of God is at work in all Christians, it is displayed more completely when we are weak. If we feel strong, we don’t realize our intense need for God’s help. It’s when we know we need help that we best receive it. 

So, when you feel weak and unable to face your trials, remember that you are. That’s okay, though, because you have a strength greater than you could muster–the Lord’s. 

YOU CANNOT BE CRUSHED

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” 

Because we have the Lord’s strength, we cannot be crushed by the trials of this world. Though we may be afflicted, we can lean on the Lord. In trials, this is our hope.

We cannot fight in our own strength. When a clay jar is struck down, it shatters. It’s only through the Lord’s power that we are not destroyed. 

Although we are weak, we have been given the great treasure of the gospel. God’s power is shown all the more clearly through our weakness, making it a good thing. When we rely on God for strength, we cannot be crushed by the trials of this world. 

As you live your life, remember to lean on God for strength. With each resolution you strive to keep, pray that you will do nothing in your own strength. And when you are faced with trials, know that with God, they cannot defeat you. 

~

(This is Eliana again!) Thank you for sharing this with us, McKinley! That is super encouraging truth! =)

McKinley also posted an article by me on her blog. It’s called “How to Keep Your Fire Burning.” Go check it out! https://unhinderedimagination.home.blog/2020/01/08/blog-swap-how-to-keep-your-fire-burning/

What Do You Think?

What did you think of McKinley’s post? Do you have any New Year resolutions?