Hidden Treasure

<p>HIDDEN TREASURE</p> <p>This is the story about us being vessels that contain a treasure within. And no matter how fragile that vessel is, or how formidable are the pressures upon that vessel, the inner treasure is of greater power than the outward pressure. There is a Scripture that talks about that Treasure, which is the life of Jesus within us, being made evident in our lives, no matter what is going on in our circumstances. 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard- pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.</p> <p>Many people are asking the question in this time of Covid-19 distress and affliction; How we are going to come out the other end? Well How are we? Our future material circumstances remain uncertain, and restrictions upon our freedom of movement and interaction are being gradually eased, our health and hygiene guidelines stay constant, but a massive question is how are we going to come out the other end emotionally, and that depends massively on how we are going to come out the other end spiritually.</p> <p>Paul speaks in that Scripture about having experiences of being hard pressed or under pressure, feeling perplexed or trapped, feeling threatened and being hard hit. Some or all of that is what many people can readily say they have experiencing now to some degree. The negative outcomes Paul could have ended up with after all this were his being crushed, being in despair, feeling forsaken, or even being destroyed. These are natural human responses to those kinds of pressures that have seemed to hit eve