There are all kinds of vessels made of clay. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the two things they all have in common are… clay vessels were made to contain something and they are all weak in structure. When Paul describes Believers as weak ‘vessels’ that are ‘afflicted, at wit’s end, and knocked down’, He is identifying our purpose ‘to be filled up’ with the transcended power of the ‘Light of the glory of God as seen in the face of Jesus’ that fills with hope, never abandons, or allows us to be knocked out. The transcended power of this Light of God always lifts us up in His time. Notice the necessity of the weakness in order to know the power… This is where we struggle with how God wants us to live; we want the power of God in our lives without the weakness. We want His blessing to come through untroubled, peaceful, and calm circumstances… but what kind of Power and Victory would that reveal? God is drawing all men to Himself, but we are self-interested, egotistical, willful brutes… or as Paul describes, ‘the darkness in which God shines the light.’ It is only as we are taken to rationally recognize and admit our weakness that the light shines in through the cracks of our ‘earthen jar’.
The lie about Christianity is ‘believe and you will never know difficulties or illness and life will be a bowl of ice cream.’ That is not true or Biblical, Believers get sick, have struggles, and they die. The truth is, you believe and God will begin reconstruction, using the circumstances of your life. He will begin tearing out of the old ways, appetites, and willfulness; all the while filling us up with His Glory! It is this kind of renewal that gets ours and other people’s attention… when we see newness and victory coming out of a life that is ‘pressed on every side, hopeless, and knocked down’.
What is the secret then to being filled up with ‘the Light of God’s glory’? Paul tells us it’s our consent to sharing in the dying of Jesus. He writes, “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Cor 4:10). We know this does not mean we are to physically die, that doesn’t make sense in the context since Paul goes on to describe how we are to live ‘manifesting the life of Jesus.’ So the question then is ‘what was the dying of Jesus like? On the cross, He was not powerful, impressive, or significant; He was not being applauded by the multitudes who had heard Him speak, No, the cross was a place of physical weakness, of rejection by the proud and arrogant world around Him. It was a place of obscurity, a place where He was willing to lose everything He had, trusting God to bring it back and make it significant (stedman). We were made to contain the ‘Light of the Glory of God as seen in Jesus.’ For that Treasure to be known in our lives we must be willing to give up (die to) all the things that make us look important and take a position of obscurity, trusting God to use us however He will. This is the ‘dying of Jesus’ we are to carry in our ‘earthen vessel’ and what Jesus meant when He said, ‘pick up your cross and follow me.’
Victor Frankl wrote concerning the horrors of the Holocaust, “If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering.” That meaning is to shine the light of the Gospel into the darkness of willful humanity in order to draw all men into the presence of a marvelously perfect God. It is only through weak vessels spilling over with His glorious light that this is effective.
I pray you trust God today with your life’s circumstances. Whether you are pressed at every point, at wit’s end, persecuted, or knocked down… Jesus stands ready to deliver you, filling you with hope through ‘the light of the Glory of God that shines in His presence’.
Choose wisely…
“God said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Praying you trust Jesus today
Written by David Brown:David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.
Think About This: “The key to Christian living is a thirst and hunger for God. And one of the main reasons people do not understand or experience the sovereignty of grace and the way it works through the awakening of sovereign joy is that their hunger and thirst for God is too small.” – John Piper
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. –Psalm 33:4-5
This place is beautiful! Great for a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Robert Rodriguez
1711813203
The bestest place
Florence Ibrahim
1711601879
Christan true and very clean and good food and speaker blessed bmy soul love it my home and will always come back again again for ever in the lord. Room was so beautiful . They work so hard to make you happy. Will try to bring family member to be... blessed hear also. I support all that they do to help men and woman find god. When I come to Keswick I didn't want to go home . That how happy and blessed I'm. Always pray for all of them daily. So glad I found this blessed placeread more
Ross Fichter
1710505821
Stayed here while we were visiting my in-laws at The Pines Living Facility. Exactly what we needed for lodging -- inexpensive compared to most motels without any loss of accommodations, and very Christ-centered environment. Plus they serve a great... breakfast every morning. No TV in the room, but that was not an issue for us, since there is nothing worth watching anyway. Staff were extremely friendly and did their jobs well. This place is a gem and a blessing to all who walk on their beautiful property.read more
Manuel Chávez Martínez
1709498094
Es un lugar maravilloso para disfrutar la palabra de Dios
Pianista Benjamín Arias
1708802888
Bien
William Dundas
1708697460
This place holds a special place in my life journey. I was Baptised there as I RE-DEDICATED myself. It was Febuary at night, so my review may not give it the right justice. What I can say, there were a ton of relaxing, peaceful locations to... re-connect with JESUS. Obviously, there was a pool, several lake's with benches. Gathering locations to celebrate, and break bread. A very wholesome Resort.read more
Adrian Obrien
1707934719
Spontaneous invite to girl talk! Loved it! Speaker was on point, fellowship and food , how better to start Valentines?
Ivelisse Romero
1707021027
Beautiful place to separate yourself for the Lord. Soo peaceful no technology which I love. Just you nature and God. I was there for a women's retreat.
Jennifer Crabtree
1706843166
A wonderful Christ- and family-oriented place! Beautiful grounds and welcoming staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the conference we attended as well as the community hymn-sing. Highly recommend.
Jason Zimolong
1706837733
They've been a 5 star treatment and resort...doing God's work!
Patricia Simpson
1705193514
Peaceful little spot, so close to home 🩵
James Kolchin
1704151396
It's A Good Place To Have Retreats And They Have GREAT FOOD AND GREAT MUSIC
Kaia Leeds
1703475382
This was a very nice place!! I sang here with my school!!
Google Rating
4.8
Based on 426 reviews
America's Keswick Christian Retreat and Conference Center
This place is beautiful! Great for a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Robert Rodriguez
1711813203
The bestest place
Florence Ibrahim
1711601879
Christan true and very clean and good food and speaker blessed bmy soul love it my home and will always come back again again for ever in the lord. Room was so beautiful . They work so hard to make you happy. Will try to bring family member to be... blessed hear also. I support all that they do to help men and woman find god. When I come to Keswick I didn't want to go home . That how happy and blessed I'm. Always pray for all of them daily. So glad I found this blessed placeread more
Ross Fichter
1710505821
Stayed here while we were visiting my in-laws at The Pines Living Facility. Exactly what we needed for lodging -- inexpensive compared to most motels without any loss of accommodations, and very Christ-centered environment. Plus they serve a great... breakfast every morning. No TV in the room, but that was not an issue for us, since there is nothing worth watching anyway. Staff were extremely friendly and did their jobs well. This place is a gem and a blessing to all who walk on their beautiful property.read more
Manuel Chávez Martínez
1709498094
Es un lugar maravilloso para disfrutar la palabra de Dios
Pianista Benjamín Arias
1708802888
Bien
William Dundas
1708697460
This place holds a special place in my life journey. I was Baptised there as I RE-DEDICATED myself. It was Febuary at night, so my review may not give it the right justice. What I can say, there were a ton of relaxing, peaceful locations to... re-connect with JESUS. Obviously, there was a pool, several lake's with benches. Gathering locations to celebrate, and break bread. A very wholesome Resort.read more
Adrian Obrien
1707934719
Spontaneous invite to girl talk! Loved it! Speaker was on point, fellowship and food , how better to start Valentines?
Ivelisse Romero
1707021027
Beautiful place to separate yourself for the Lord. Soo peaceful no technology which I love. Just you nature and God. I was there for a women's retreat.
Jennifer Crabtree
1706843166
A wonderful Christ- and family-oriented place! Beautiful grounds and welcoming staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the conference we attended as well as the community hymn-sing. Highly recommend.
Jason Zimolong
1706837733
They've been a 5 star treatment and resort...doing God's work!
Patricia Simpson
1705193514
Peaceful little spot, so close to home 🩵
James Kolchin
1704151396
It's A Good Place To Have Retreats And They Have GREAT FOOD AND GREAT MUSIC
Kaia Leeds
1703475382
This was a very nice place!! I sang here with my school!!