“A DONUT OR A HOLE?” By Pastor YAU
Text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 January 10, 2009.
INTRODUCTION:
1) A true story: Marianne fell and broke her arm while riding her bicycle. She told her friend Cindy how thankful she was that she was able to ride all the way home. She was also grateful that the injury wasn’t that bad that she didn’t need a surgery. She was glad that it was her left arm that was broken so she was able to continue to work after a couple of days. She said she was also thankful that she had good bones that her arm should be healed fast. Finally she was grateful that it hadn't been any worse.
2) Take a test: A magazine at a doctor’s office drew my attention. On the cover was a large donut with a question in bold print: What do you see: A Donut or A Hole? The article presented a common phenomenon: how we see things in everyday life. If you are given a donut, what is your assessment of what you have or have not. If you see a donut and feel good because you have something. On the other hand, if all you see is the hole in a donut and feel incomplete, you can’t change anything because there is always a hole in every donut.
1) A donut is a donut: Among all the pastries, donuts are good food but are basic. This is a very important perspective about life. Most of us need to recognize that we are good people but are common people. This is not to discourage anyone from getting ahead, but to help us to set on a reasonable ground on which we see things. The Bible encourages us “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3) To see oneself more highly than he is may not help anyone
2)
Donuts are unique: With all kinds of pastry for
all purposes and occasions, donuts occupy a unique position: shops are named in
their honor: DONUT
3) Donuts have holes: Except in rare cases all donuts have holes. If donuts can talk, I am sure some of them might not want to have holes in their hearts. But what is a donut without a hole? God created us in different sizes, shapes and looks in His wisdom. It is not up to us to choose what we want to be. We need to be proud of the way God created us, with or without holes. King David was proud of the way God created him when he said, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” (Psalm 139:14)God never makes mistake in creating each one of us He sees fit and we are to be thankful for that like King David did.
4) Donuts without holes: Suppose a donut doesn’t like to have a hole and asks his maker to make it that way, it will look like a dinner roll or a super thick pancake, not a donut any more. God wants to make us the way we are to fit the role He wants us to fulfill. We should not desire to be someone else to play his role. “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)If a part of the body doesn’t like the way it is and doesn’t fulfill its role, the Body of Christ will suffer loss in its functioning.
BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES OF
1) Life comes as a package: Reading these 4 verses of the Bible, we see life is a package mixed of pressure, perplex, persecution and strikes on one side and the not-crushed, not in despair and not abandoned on the other. From the top of the society to the lower common people, no one has the power to choose and pick what they like and what they don’t. Each person has different components in his package but all are mixed with good and bad things of life. I think this is designed by God to give all people the same opportunity to taste all kinds of life so no one may feel he is the only victim. Remember: all donuts have holes in them.
2) God doesn’t pay favoritism: Some of us may think a good and faithful servant like Paul, he should be exempted from all these troubles listed. But these are exactly what God has allowed him to go through life. Being faithful to God and His trust is a duty and an honor, and not a premium for exemption of trouble. God doesn’t allow anyone to buy His grace and blessing by good works or merit. All human beings have to go through life pretty much the same way, except we have God to go with us to carry us through the darkest valley of death.
3) The treasure in clay jars: Paul used the words “clay jars” to let us see the low value, the weakness, the fragility and uncertain of human life. This is true to all people from kings and queens to the most poor and the illiterates, all life is fragile and uncertain. The abiding power of God in those who received Him as Lord and Savior makes all the difference in protecting and sustaining Christians in every aspect of life, both the good and the bad. This means we do not have to worry about what may come to us or how to handle them when they come because God always know how to carry us through.
4)
Death may bring life: “We always carry around in
our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in
our body.” (
CONCLUSION:
1) Be happy who you are. There are people who don’t like their lives. They don’t like the way they look, don’t like their family background, they don’t like their schools, jobs, church, and everything else. These people constantly live in unhappy and even depressed emotion but can’t do anything to change the facts. As Christians we believe that God has a purpose in our lives and He made all things possible in our lives the way He wants it to be and it is always for our good. Instead of looking at the hole, we need to also look at the donut and make the best of it. Life is precious, don’t waste it in despair.
2)
Keep a good company. Accept God through Jesus
Christ into your life as treasures in your clay jar. This will protect, sustain
and carry you through all kinds of unexpected events of life. He can turn your
fragile life into a fortress, brighten your path with His words and the Holy
Spirit. He will also make you a blessing to people around you if you are
willing to follow His guidance. Instead to go through life alone and feeling
fearful and uncertain you can call on God into your heart and make Him your
life companion through eternity.