Take a Licking and Keep on Ticking
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” — 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Life can hit hard at times.
Family issues – a hit.
Health issues – a hit.
Financial issues – a hit.
Job issues – a hit.
Relationship issues – a hit.
And the list can go on and on. But like the Timex watch, we must withstand life’s hits and keep ticking.
In 2 Corinthians 4:8, the Apostle Paul both enlightens and encourages the church in Corinth by giving them a list of scenarios they would experience. Paul said the believers would be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, but they would not be crushed, experience despair, be forsaken, or be destroyed in these tribulations.
As it was in the time of the Corinthian church, we too are pressed on every side, experience confusion and mistreatment, and are knocked down occasionally, yet the pressure should not crush or destroy us. The confusion should not leave us feeling hopeless. The mistreatment should not cause us to feel abandoned, and being knocked down should not destroy us.
Paul tells us that hidden treasure lies within these clay vessels. That treasure is God’s dunamis power. Through His strength and power, we can withstand the spiritual attacks that may come our way. “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10, NLT).
As long as we continue in the faith, trust God, and remain connected to Christ, the possibilities of living a victorious life are infinite.
Like, the slogan says, We can “take a licking and keep on ticking.”[1]
Join me again next week for Coffee on The Couch.
[1] Wikipedia contributors, “John Cameron Swayze,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Cameron_Swayze&oldid=1170802271 (accessed January 30, 2024).