Filled Jars

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

“Why are we bringing glass jars to get groceries, Mom?” asked Micah.

“We’re trying something a little different to reduce our plastic waste,” Mom explained. “Today we’re visiting a bulk food store, which is a type of store where you bring your own containers and fill them with what you need from big bins or dispensers at the store.”

When they arrived at the store, Micah saw what she was talking about. There were rows of big bins full of nuts, rice, beans, and pasta. Colorful crates full of fruits and veggies were congregated in the middle. The walls were lined with dispensers filled with golden honey, brightly colored hard candy, crunchy cereals, and dried fruit. There was even a shelf with dispensers of things you couldn’t eat—like liquid shampoo and dish soap.

Mom and Micah weighed their jars at a station at the front of the store and proceeded to fill them up with all the things they needed. Soon, their cart was just as colorful as the store.

As they drove home, Micah said, “That was fun! I liked filling the jars!”

Mom nodded. “I did too. It’s nice to be able to get just the amount we need of something, and it’s fun to see plain old jars look so colorful.” She paused. “You know, we’re a lot like these jars.”

“What?” Micah asked. “How are we jars?”

Mom laughed. “We’re not actually jars. We’re like jars. In the Bible, Christians are compared to jars. Like a jar, we’re not complete without being filled. On our own, we don’t love God and others, and we’re unable to save ourselves from sin and its consequences. To be complete, we need Jesus to fill us.”

“So Jesus fills us up like a jar?” asked Micah.

“Yes,” said Mom. “He’s our Savior from sin and death, and there’s nothing we can do on our own to fill ourselves with His love and salvation. It’s a free gift. Whenever we look at these jars, we can see all the good things they’ve been filled with, and when people get to know us, they’ll see that Jesus has filled us with His goodness and love.” Kandi Zeller

Why are we bringing glass jars to get groceries, Mom?” asked Micah.

“We’re trying something a little different to reduce our plastic waste,” Mom explained. “Today we’re visiting a bulk food store, which is a type of store where you bring your own containers and fill them with what you need from big bins or dispensers at the store.”

When they arrived at the store, Micah saw what she was talking about. There were rows of big bins full of nuts, rice, beans, and pasta. Colorful crates full of fruits and veggies were congregated in the middle. The walls were lined with dispensers filled with golden honey, brightly colored hard candy, crunchy cereals, and dried fruit. There was even a shelf with dispensers of things you couldn’t eat—like liquid shampoo and dish soap.

Mom and Micah weighed their jars at a station at the front of the store and proceeded to fill them up with all the things they needed. Soon, their cart was just as colorful as the store.

As they drove home, Micah said, “That was fun! I liked filling the jars!”

Mom nodded. “I did too. It’s nice to be able to get just the amount we need of something, and it’s fun to see plain old jars look so colorful.” She paused. “You know, we’re a lot like these jars.”

“What?” Micah asked. “How are we jars?”

Mom laughed. “We’re not actually jars. We’re like jars. In the Bible, Christians are compared to jars. Like a jar, we’re not complete without being filled. On our own, we don’t love God and others, and we’re unable to save ourselves from sin and its consequences. To be complete, we need Jesus to fill us.”

“So Jesus fills us up like a jar?” asked Micah.

“Yes,” said Mom. “He’s our Savior from sin and death, and there’s nothing we can do on our own to fill ourselves with His love and salvation. It’s a free gift. Whenever we look at these jars, we can see all the good things they’ve been filled with, and when people get to know us, they’ll see that Jesus has filled us with His goodness and love.”

-Kandi Zeller

How About You?

Have you been filled like a jar? When we put our trust in Jesus, He fills us with His goodness. We couldn’t do anything to deserve the free gift of His love and salvation, so He died and rose again so that we could be rescued from sin and death. If you haven’t put your trust in Him, do that today so He can make you complete. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column.)

Today’s Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 4:7 We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure [Jesus]. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus fills us with good things