Death needed for Light to shine

Echoing what the devotional says today, sin is a sadly common fact of life. No believer in the Bible bragged about his goodness because all of them struggled with sin. It is as Chinese martyr Watchman Nee said — being a Christian is like having two dogs fighting inside. We have two natures within us. One is the new person — righteous because of being united to Jesus Christ. The other is our flesh, the old nature that has a love/hate relationship with sin and both wants to do it, yet longs for freedom from it. However, the flesh is totally unable to do anything against sin. It may try to keep the law of God, but cannot. It is as Paul said:

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:14–20)

Every Christian knows this battle, but not everyone realizes our war is between flesh and sin, law-keeping and failure. My spiritual victories cannot be won that way. As in salvation, I cannot depend on my flesh-efforts but on the power and sustaining grace of God. The flesh is feeble and weak, yet needs to go one step farther because the only answer is complete deadness. Instead of trying harder, the flesh must yield to death and cease from interfering with the grace that not only saves but sanctifies.

God says, “Let light shine out of darkness.” He has shone in my heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But I have this treasure in a jar of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to me. (2 Corinthians 4:6–7)

How can it be? A jar of clay in Bible times was used to transport water, not light. The only way light could be seen through the walls of that jar would be if it were broken, full of holes, generally useless in the ordinary duties of being a jar. Only then can light shine through it.

This fits with what God told Paul. He said His grace was made perfect in weakness. If I am like a cracked and hole-filled jar, I would feel weak, even helpless — and isn’t this what God wants? The jar, the old nature, is the only thing visible to others if it remains unbroken. Only when it is weak and useless for all other purposes, can the light of Jesus Christ shine through to those outside.

^^^^^^^

Jesus, You know how I hate to feel weak. You know that I need to let Your life shine through me and the only way that will happen is when I am broken, yielded, weak, unfit for anything else but bearing Your image. You lived that way, totally relying on the Father, full of grace and truth. I realize that the problem isn’t in being like You, but in resisting Your work in me to so I can let Your light shine. My flesh nature is too alive, too greedy, too hungry for power and control. Help me to stop feeding it and allow it to shrivel and die.