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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hello, and thank you for listening to your

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Speaker 1: Daily Bible Verse, the podcast that examines the Bible each

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Speaker 1: day to help us learn more about God and as

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Speaker 1: will for us. I'm your host, Shaka Hines, and after

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Speaker 1: this short word from our sponsor, we'll continue with our

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Speaker 1: led series God Meets You in the Wilderness with the

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Speaker 1: discussion on Second Corinthians for seven. Today's Bible Verse is

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Speaker 1: Second Corinthians for seven. But we have this treasure in

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Speaker 1: jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power

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Speaker 1: is from God and not from us. Now, have you

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Speaker 1: ever wondered why you might be attracted to stories in

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Speaker 1: which a person has overcome severe trials to achieve triumphant victory.

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Speaker 1: Now that victory, it could be peace, reconciliation, or some

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Speaker 1: great treasure. There's something about the suffering journey that we

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Speaker 1: just identify with. We don't often encounter the exact same circumstances,

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Speaker 1: but we see our own stories. Our hardships are obstacles

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Speaker 1: in someone else's tale, and we see the possibility of

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Speaker 1: our own triumphant victory. The beauty of the treasure that

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Speaker 1: we see is magnified because of the weaknesses met and

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Speaker 1: overcome in the journey. That treasure could be the value

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Speaker 1: of perseverance, the joy found amid sorrow, the victory over obstacles.

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Speaker 1: In some way, we're attracted to weakness becoming strength that

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Speaker 1: we all might partake of. Right, the truth is, the

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Speaker 1: most impactful speakers aren't those who've had a perfect journey,

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Speaker 1: but rather those who've stumbled, struggled, and suffered but refused

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Speaker 1: to give up. The greater the weakness, the more amazed

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Speaker 1: we are by their success, Paul says, But we have

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Speaker 1: this treasure in jars of clay. The treasure he speaks

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Speaker 1: of is the light of the Gospel, which is the

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Speaker 1: glory of Christ, revealing the image of God. This profound

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Speaker 1: treasure is held in jars of clay. Now, in Bible times,

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Speaker 1: clay jars were ordinary, everyday vessels used to store everything

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Speaker 1: from water to perhaps coins to important documents. Right, look

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Speaker 1: at the Dead Sea scrolls in Tewod Corinthias four to seven,

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Speaker 1: Paul says, the jars of clay. He uses it as

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Speaker 1: a metaphor for the fragility of our human existence. But

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Speaker 1: we have this treasure in jars of clay, the glorious

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Speaker 1: treasure of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus and

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Speaker 1: salvation through him, and the glory to be revealed when

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Speaker 1: He returns. This is stored within the simple bodily vessel

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Speaker 1: of every believer. It's not in a safe or a vault,

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Speaker 1: or often even, let's be honest, a beautifully adorned container,

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Speaker 1: just within clay pots made for temporary, everyday use. God's

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Speaker 1: treasure is contained within his people, his flawed, broken, limited,

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Speaker 1: ordinary people. Why would God do this? Paul answers the

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Speaker 1: why God does this? He says to show that this

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Speaker 1: all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

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Speaker 1: Our weaknesses are like cracks in a clay pot. Think

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Speaker 1: about this, the moments in which we feel as if

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Speaker 1: we've stumbled, fallen, or just outright failed, and then we

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Speaker 1: not only keep walking the road of Christ's forgiveness and

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Speaker 1: his healing poured out on us the Gospel in action,

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Speaker 1: but we also refuse to hide our weaknesses from others.

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Speaker 1: The treasure of the Gospel shines brightly through the broken

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Speaker 1: places in our lives if we let it. Our authenticity

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Speaker 1: about our weaknesses becomes the magnifier through which God's glory

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Speaker 1: shines even brighter. Just like with that speaker or an

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Speaker 1: inspiring movie, there's a sense that if they, though they

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Speaker 1: have faced brokenness and failure, can have victory, maybe I

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Speaker 1: can too. Maybe I can have peace. Maybe there can

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Speaker 1: be reconciliation in my life. Maybe I can find forgiveness.

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Speaker 1: Maybe God can heal me. Maybe God can also use

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Speaker 1: my journey through the wilderness of my life to speak

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Speaker 1: to someone else. Here again what Paul says, but we

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Speaker 1: have this treasure in jars of clay to show that

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Speaker 1: this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

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Speaker 1: In his mercy, God allows our brokenness to reveal the forgiveness,

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Speaker 1: goodness and power of Jesus for anyone to see it's

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Speaker 1: not from us. That means it's transferable. Anyone can possess

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Speaker 1: this treasure. And if it's not from us, our perspective

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Speaker 1: shifts so that we look to rest in and enjoy

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Speaker 1: the one who is deserving of all glory and honor

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Speaker 1: and majesty Christ himself. Now today you may feel like

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Speaker 1: a broken pot so full of holes, you feel useless

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Speaker 1: and defeated. Please please hear the encouragement. God's power often

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Speaker 1: shines brightest when we feel weakest. Accept the truth. We

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Speaker 1: focus on this Litton season. Jesus came to take our

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Speaker 1: brokenness on himself and to nail our failures to the cross,

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Speaker 1: and to show us the glory of God. This is

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Speaker 1: the Gospel treasure. This is the glory of God shining

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Speaker 1: through the holes in our clay jars, allowing God to

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Speaker 1: inspire others to know Him through us. So, if you've

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Speaker 1: fallen down on this journey, get up. If you've sin, repent,

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Speaker 1: confess your sin, repent, and then accept his forgiveness. Allow

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Speaker 1: Jesus to bring healing and restoration. And then don't hide it.

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Speaker 1: Don't be ashamed. In the hands of God. Your weakness

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Speaker 1: displays the glory of God. Allow others to see the

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Speaker 1: weaknesses in your jar of clay, so they might see

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Speaker 1: the brilliance of the Gospel at work in you. If

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Speaker 1: we let it, God's glory can and should shine brightest

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Speaker 1: from our broken places. Let's pray Abah, Praise you, Praise you,

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Speaker 1: Praise you that when you called us to yourself, you

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Speaker 1: knew exactly who you were getting what you were getting,

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Speaker 1: and it did not deter you. You had decided to

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Speaker 1: love us beforehand, and then you decided to use our

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Speaker 1: broken places, our wounds are hurt, those places where we

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Speaker 1: might even feel the deepest shame, and Jesus has had

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Speaker 1: to meet us the greater. You use those places to

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Speaker 1: shine the truth of your gospel, the truth of your love,

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Speaker 1: the truth of your forgiveness, the truth of reconciliation, restoration,

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Speaker 1: the truth of victory in Christ. It shines so brightly

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Speaker 1: from our broken places. If we let it. Abah, I

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Speaker 1: pray for everyone listening to me right now, would you

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Speaker 1: help us to let you shine? Would you help us

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Speaker 1: to let you shine? Would you give us humility so

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Speaker 1: we can show our weaknesses to one another. So in

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Speaker 1: that way, God, we can see the brilliance of the

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Speaker 1: Gospel shining from one another, and one by one we

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Speaker 1: can help each other God towards You. We love you, Lord.

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Speaker 1: Thank you that not only don't you despise us in

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Speaker 1: our weakness, but you actually use our weakness. God, it

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Speaker 1: becomes our greatest strength because it shows you. We ask

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Speaker 1: these things in Jesus's name. Amen k