After displaying the glory of the gospel ministry to the believers in Corinth, Paul frankly describes his and his coworkers' suffering. The gospel workers suffered both physically and mentally from persecution and all kinds of hardships. Yet they were not defeated nor despairing (8-9). And there was a spiritual purpose in these sufferings: Jesus' life was revealed in his servants' bodies. This is the principle of Jesus' own victory through his death on the cross (10). It reveals that the power of God is of a different kind than human strength.

Our earthly bodies are like humble and fragile clay jars that contain a precious treasure (7). Jesus' resurrection shows us that when our jar of clay is broken, we will be raised to new life (14). So, when we are faced with our human weakness, instead of becoming discouraged, we can rejoice and grow in our inner self, learning to focus on eternal things (18). We can be a good influence on others by speaking with the spirit of faith in what is unseen (13).


Application: Father, thank you for revealing your great power even through my weakness. Grant me faith to see your eternal glory and victory and help me to plant that faith in others.
One Word: Revealing Jesus' victory through weakness