Wasson: Treasure the gospel

Many passages of Scripture comfort the reader. In 2 Corinthians chapters four and five, we are reminded that we are messengers of the gospel to the world and that our bodies are frail. We will not live forever in this world, but our lives have meaning and purpose.

One of the best explanations for why so many people reject Christianity is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world had blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

As a community of believers, we firmly believe that there is a spiritual battle for people's hearts and minds. This is why it is discouraging to see people turning away from the Christian faith. But we have the hope the world needs, knowing that we are like clay jars containing valuable content.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.

Some may claim that the Christian life is easy and that you can have anything you desire if you have enough faith. However, the Bible shows us that a relationship with God and eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus are all we need. God enables us to keep going even when times get tough. We live by faith, not by sight.

At the end of the chapter and into the next, the Apostle Paul writes about the condition of our physical bodies. If your church is like mine, you commit time to prayer requests. Most of our prayers are for physical needs. Someone called prayer meetings organ recitals because we ask God to heal our various organs.

We used to laugh at the commercial where the lady says, “I have fallen, and I cannot get up.” As we get older, we no longer find humor in that statement. Some of us have been there.

Paul encourages us with these words, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Years ago, I read a book entitled “Younger Next Year.” It inspired me to eat healthier and lose a considerable amount of weight. I felt better than I had in years. However, it is impossible to reverse aging. We may slow down the inevitable. The good news is that we can improve our spiritual well-being by growing our faith and knowledge of the Bible.

Paul describes our bodies as being like tents. Although they are our earthly homes, when destroyed, we are encouraged to know God has an eternal home for us in heaven. Christians believe that God will give us a glorified body that will never die in the afterlife. Not only will heaven be beautiful, but we will never again have to deal with the frailty of our humanity. We will be without sin and not have to fear death.

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-7.

Are we making the most of the evangelistic opportunities the Lord puts before us? Let us count our blessings, knowing we have been blessed to be a blessing. When we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we will be glad we did.

Shawn Wasson, D.Min., is the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church.