Quote from Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision and Samaritan's Purse

     Evangelist, Bob Pierce, was a powerful man of God who, as a young man, ministered through Youth with a Mission, and later founded World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse. This is what Dr. Pierce had to say about his own abilities.
   
   “Everything I ever did for the Lord, all my life, proves I am not a clever man. Mostly God had to backhand me into things. Seems I was so dumb, that God could never just say to me, ‘Go from here to there’ as He could to somebody else who would do that. But me? I had to climb over a wall or fall down a well….when for the other guy it would be a fifteen-minute walk. I eventually would get there and at least I did have brains enough to say, ‘Well, the Lord got me here, not my own ability’ - which the Lord seemed to enjoy, because the Bible does say, ‘I am the Lord…and my glory will I not give to another.’ Is 42.8  God had found out, I guess, that doing things through Bob Peirce was one sure way that the people would know that He, the Lord had done it, not me! And I’m grateful for that. If I had got my head swelled, the Lord might have lifted His hands off me. But I knew I didn’t have a lot of gifts like some men have; the ‘gift’ I had was to stumble on things, and somehow God could use that.”

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.

2 Cor 4:7

    I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being in tough situations, difficult circumstances, looking bad in front of other people, being overlooked at work and generally not having things my way. I wonder why God doesn’t prefer putting me in situations where I look good? Wouldn’t that be a better witness to non-Christians, and make them want what I have?

    God has a different plan. One that doesn’t make sense to my natural mind. It is a paradox. He said His power flows through weakness. He said the life of Christ flows through our death. He said we have a treasure in clay pots. Why? “So that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.”

    When we find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation, put down, overlooked, in tough circumstances, and we will surrender to it, we can really be glad that the life of Christ is flowing through the cracks in our earthen vessel.