Corona Devo 1003

I've been known to peruse the "produce markdowns" section in the grocery store. Many times, things "have life" left in them, even when they appear beat-up, damaged or even decaying.

Although the exterior may portray one (worn) side of the story, look deeper for the live-culture of healthy life that is many-times still living within.

Such was the case with a bag of four pomegranates that I found the other day that were marked down to one dollar (for all four!).

And they were ugly. Their skin was scratched and bruised, and one of them was even seeping a little red juice...but for $1.00, I had to give them a shot.

And wouldn't-you-know-it...their fruit was perfect on the inside. Fresh, plump, vitamin-packed pomegranate tendrils amassed as my husband steadily peeled back the outer skin of one, two, three and four of them...picking and popping those beautiful little red beads out into a huge pile ready for eating.

Tons of yummy, healthy, delicious little pom-tendrils...that (at first glance) we might not have guessed would have been under the scratched, dented, bruised outer-skin casing.

~~~

Produce isn't the only thing that may look worse-for-the-wear on the outside (sometimes), but still has "life"(!) left on the inside.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  ~2 Corinthians 4:7

We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing Christ's light, but life can beat-us-up, and damage-our-outer-skin.  We get scratched and bruised, but for a Believer-in-Jesus, all that is just cosmetic. We are never done until God calls us home.

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(8) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. (9) We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed…  ~2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Although the exterior may portray one (worn) side of our story, look deeper for the live-culture of healthy spiritual life that is still living within us.

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(13) But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”…

(16) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  ~2 Corinthians 4:13, 16

Because of Jesus, wouldn't-you-know-it...our "fruit" is perfect on the inside. The Holy Spirit lives and moves within our interior, even when our exterior circumstances take a beating.

Don't give up today.  That is why we never give up.

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(17) For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

(18) So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. 

For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  ~2 Corinthians 4:17-18

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Lord, keep Your light shining in our hearts today.  We are weak but You are strong.  We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure, and You are our inner strength and the health-of-our-mind and heart.  

May we never settle for "looking" good on the outside, but rotting on the inside, and may we never forget that though we may be bruised, scraped or "ugly" on the outside, we are alive within because of You.  We are...never abandoned by God (2 Corinthians 4:9).

Amen.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com