Heavenly Treasure in Jars of Clay

In Matthew 16 Jesus tells His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” The Christian walk is not easy —as Paul writes to the Corinthians, we are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. The Christian life requires us to continually lay down our lives in order to become more like Christ. We must take up Christ’s cross, instead of trusting in our own works. Even though we are frail as summer’s flower, we can have confidence that the King of Heaven will gently bear us and rescue us from all our foes (Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven). We “put no confidence in princes nor for help on man depend.” Instead, we trust in our God who reigns forever and promises to deliver us from oppression (Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah). When our hope is in Christ alone, “no power of Hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck us from His hand” (In Christ Alone). We must sacrifice all the vain things that charm us most, and instead boast in the death of Christ our God (When I Survey The Wondrous Cross). Because Christ offers us life in Him, we can say, “it is well with my soul” —whatever our circumstances may be (It Is Well With My Soul). This morning as we lay down our crosses, we take up Christ’s cross and rest in His “love so amazing, so divine.” Let’s lay down our lives to live in Christ. —Emma Marsh & Henry C. Haffner