This past year my daughter gave me a lovely little invention called a Patio Egg. It is an egg-shaped ceramic vessel in a cute little macrame netting for hanging it. It is at the same time decorative and useful. It’s functional purpose is to rid my patio of those arch-
enemies of any Southern girl – mosquitos! It is a simple invention really: fill the egg with the correct amount of the oil mixture and hang it up near your outdoor eating area. The porous ceramic absorbs the oils and gives off the aroma which drives away those pesky creatures for weeks to come. A pretty decoration, a light scent, and no villainous bugs!
My analogy today is very straightforward. We are that egg – that earthenware vessel. God saves us and cleans us up. But do we become just a pretty decoration or do we prepare ourselves to be used for the purpose He created us for? That preparation for us, like those oils measured into the egg, is the Word of God pouring into us, Almighty God leading and directing us, the Holy Spirit filling us.
Who prepares that egg for us? We do. We prepare ourselves. Everyday.
We immerse ourselves in the Word each morning. We continue constantly in prayer daily to seek to obediently follow the leading and directing the Father gives. We open our hearts to the filling of the spirit and allow it to seep through us saturate us, and change us as we absorb the scent of the Holy Trinity. We are then able to give off the aroma of Christ to all those around and to fulfill the purpose we were created for. But the filling, the aromatic essence, and the purpose are achieved only when we prepare our clay pot. Scripture tells us:
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:5-10
We carry this treasure in jars of clay. When we know Christ, He infiltrates every bit of us, He consumes us. We carry Him around with us everywhere. He fills us with His light and in turn we give off that light, that sweet aroma of Jesus, revealing the Gospel of His death, resurrection, and life in the very way we live out our lives. Even in those times we are in despair. When we’re crushed and devastated. When we feel abandoned and beat down. Our hope in Christ bears witness to a hungry world even when we are at our lowest points.
What is your jar of clay, your Patio Egg, like? Is it dusty sitting in a long-forgotten corner? Is it chipped and broken and feeling useless? Is it polished and shiny and beautiful, just sitting on a shelf offering no real value? Is it unfilled, offering up only a pretty decoration with no effect on its environment? Or is it full of healing oil, filled with the Word, shedding the light of Christ wherever you go, offering hope and grace and mercy to a dark and desperate world? Sit in His presence and allow Him to fill you and saturate every pour of your being! Then go! Be light!
But sometimes being exposed is good. Don’t believe it? How about photographs? If film was not exposed to light it would never retain the image we cherish and reminisce over so fondly. And plants. If plants were not exposed to sunlight they couldn’t feed themselves or grow or bear fruit. And our bodies. Lack of exposure to sunlight can lead to a Vitamin D deficiency. Being exposed to the light can be very beneficial.
There on MY chin were a half-dozen hairs clearly visible in the illuminating sunlight. Now I am not that old and was not prepared for what I saw. Time seemed to stand still as I tried unsuccessfully to remove those hairs with my bare fingers. My moment ended with the car behind me honking to break me out of my distractedness. I made my way to the store and beelined it straight to the lighted, magnifying, make-up mirrors! I didn’t have the money that day, but put it on my wish list and am now the owner of a well-used lighted make-up mirror.
image, surrender my inclusion in Christ if that’s what it takes for the redemption of another? I must truthfully say, No. Not at this point. The Lord is beginning this work of surrender in me. But I’m not a completed pot of clay in His hand. I’m the lump being molded and shaped upon the Potter’s wheel, and squashed down and built up again until I reach the shape of surrender. What is the shape of surrender, I wonder? Is it flat? Prone? Facedown?
…music that stirs the soul
…the lisping wisdom of a 4-year-old
…gazing into the innocent eyes of a child
…jumping in piles of leaves
…dancing in the rain
…strolling down a tree-lined lane
We made a list, set the timer, and dove in to the mess. When the timer went off we were shocked! The house looked remarkably clean and neat. It would have taken me at least 4 or 5 hours to do by myself all that we had accomplished together. Granted the mirrors were only wiped 3/4’s of the way up by the kids who were too short. And the wash cloths were folded, but not in perfect squares. Even the beds were made, although the comforter corners may have not been perfectly aligned. The dishes, laundry, floors, and bathrooms had been appropriately washed, folded, swept, mopped, and cleaned. It seemed as if we got more done than we thought we could have before we started. It was amazing!
Why do you think service groups, ministries, and volunteer organizations are always asking for volunteers? To lighten the load. Whether it is the Salvation Army, Red Cross, an inner city tutoring program, or a church ministry, your small contribution may not seem like much to you. “Surely my 1 hour a week doesn’t even make a difference?” you may say. But when my one hour adds up with your one hour and my college student’s hour and your best friend’s hour who decided to go with you and the couple-from-the-other-side-of-town’s hour, we end up with 6 hours of productive work instead of just one.
With my Bible open before me and a table full of commentaries and notebooks strewn all around, a strange thought came to my mind. Here you are sitting in a bread shop consuming the Bread of Life. This is your House of Bread, your Bethlehem.
“Jesus declared, ‘
How did I get here? Who knows. Sometimes I know. I sometimes realize sin or grief or disappointments in life or illness or lack of exercise or some other factor may be at the root of that horrible feeling. But then there are days like today when I have no clue.
Well 
Priceless 