This “All-Surpassing Power Comes From God

I love how the NIV translates verse 1 Corinthians 4:7

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  

We are all imperfect beings.  We are made of temporary materials, with failings, temptations, weaknesses, pains, and injustices in our lives.  Yet through the all-surpassing power from God we can do all things.

In his first letter to the Corinthians just like here in his second, Paul also reminds the people who had their own callings and work to do that they were not all born wise, or born of noble birth, or with wealth handed down, or with great intelligence, etc.  He reminded them that they were not all born powerful, and by human standards they may not stand out. But with God’s all-surpassing power they can do so much for the good.  Dieter F. Uchtdorf said this, “God uses the weak and the plain to bring about His purposes. This truth stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His work on the earth.”

Worshiping God Not People

What does ever leader, prophet, apostle, that super smart scriptorian in your Sunday school class, the billionaire who gives amazing amounts of money to charities, the refugee that gave away their own too small meal to another who was more hungry, your neighbor who is always so nice and seems like the best person you've ever met, the missionary you met who gave a wonderful blessing that healed your child, and everyone else you know have in common? They are all human. They all are struggling in some way that you may not see. They all make mistakes, and they all have the same passions as everyone else.

Paul and Barnabas ran into this after they healed a man who had been crippled since birth. The people thought they must be Gods. The called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes (or Mars). Paul and Barnabas literally ran in to their meetings and reminded them that they are just men, just like them. They need to give thanks and be amazed with the Lord, not normal people simply doing the work of the Lord. The NIV says they rushed into the crowd to say, "Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them"