Read the Bible

Treasure in Clay Canteens

¹ God has mercifully given us a spot on his outfit. He assigned us this work to do and we never give up. ² But we have given up on our old shameful deeds and underhanded way of living. We don't try to trick people or distort the word of God. We explain the truth in a way you can understand it, and those who are honest know it. ³ If the good news seems too hard to understand to some folks, it because those people are lost and don't know God. ⁴ That old devil has put blinders on those who don't believe. They just can't see the good news. They have chosen to live in darkness with the devil rather than live in the light with God. ⁵ We can tell you stories about ourselves, but it's only to point you toward God. We don't preach about ourselves. We preach that Jesus is the boss and we are his cowboys who ride for his brand. ⁶ God once said, "Let a light shine in the darkness." This light has come on inside our hearts and it is the glory of God which is Christ Jesus.

⁷ It's true! This light shines in our hearts, but this gift is like a treasure in an old worn out feed sack that could tear open at any moment. God did this on purpose to show it's his power that sustains us, not what we can accomplish. ⁸ We are surrounded by things that could kill us, but we ain't even been whipped yet. We may not know what we're doing, but we know better than to give up. ⁹ People are always out to get us, but God never leaves our side. We might get knocked down, but we always get up. ¹⁰ When we suffer, we share what Jesus went through and that makes us more like him. ¹¹ We live with the constant threat of death, which proves we truly do ride for him. ¹² We go through the worst so you can have the best—eternal life.

¹³ The Good Book once stated, "I said it because I believed it." That pretty much sums up our faith. ¹⁴ God brought Jesus back from the dead and he will do the same for us. We will all be gathered together one day to stand before him. ¹⁵ All of this is for y'all. Everything we do, everything we say, everything we go through, is for y'all. And God's grace is reaching more and more cowboys every single day. One day, there will be a great celebration and God will receive the glory he is due.

Living Faithfully

¹⁶ That's why we bear down and never give up. Our bodies are growing older and weaker, but our spirits are getting stronger and stronger. ¹⁷ Sure, we've got troubles, but they are preparing us for something much better to come. ¹⁸ So we don't even acknowledge the problems we have now, but we set our sights on things that can't be seen. The things we can see now are temporary and will soon be gone, but the things we can't see will be forever.