IS YOUR CLAY JAR BROKEN?

"Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark...Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches.  The rest of Gideon's soldier blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands.  Then they smashed the clay jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everone shouted "Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon."   The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away." Judges 7:19-21 CEV

The story of Gideon being able to defeat a big army and having only a few of themselves, trumpets, swords, some clay jar with torches inside and faith in their hearts showcases how powerful and awesome God moves.  When the Israelites blew their trumpets and altogether broke the clay jars in their hand revealing the torch inside it, the Medianites were awestrucked by the light and by the surprise attack of the Israelites which led to their defeat.

The secret of the success of this surprise attack is the perfect execution of altogether breaking the clay jar creating tremendous light which emanates from the torch inside it.  This portion of the story really caught my attention especially when I read 2 Cor. 4:7 "We are like clay jars in which the treasure is stored.  The real power comes from God and not from us."  The apostle Paul likened the life of a christian into a clayjar which has a "treasure" stored in it, and when I asked myself what treasure is that, the bible answered in Matthew 5:4 "You are like light for the world, a city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden..."

Interestingly, the life of a christian is like a clay jar in which the light is stored which is also the same thing Gideon and his soldiers had used to defeat the Medianites.  Jesus Christ said to us that we should make our light shine so that others will see the good that we do and will praise our father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).  These words from Him reminds us that we christians, and the light in us which comes from Him, are needed by this dark world and by the people living in darkness to lead them to the saving knowlede of our Lord Jesus.  However, the light in us could only be seen if we break the clay jar---our life---and this clay jar will only be broken if we fully submit and commit ourselves to Him, letting Him take full control of our mind, will and soul.  Unless we do not do this, the clay jar will remain whole and the light in it needed by this world and the lost people, will only be in vain.

These truths also encourage us to stay away from THINGS that will thicken and harden the clay jar to the point of being unbreakable and to dim the light to the point of quenching it---that is SIN.

The day of the Lord's coming is fast approaching;  the signs and events around us shows. There is, indeed, an urgency to let the lost people--maybe your family, relatives, friends, officemates, neighbors, classmates, etc.---see the light in us and be brought to the Light of the World, our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ.  But the question is: Is your clay jar broken?