The Name Written On It

  There was a rancher in Oregon named Bill Brown. He was known for often writing checks on any paper available. This included things like envelopes, soup can labels, and newspaper margins. Now, most banks wouldn’t accept his kind of check, but Bill Brown was a very rich, therefore very important customer, so the banks in his area would cash the checks without question.

  It wasn’t the surface the name was written on that mattered, but the name written on the surface.

 In 2^nd Corinthians 4, Paul speaks about the privilege we have because of our involvement in the ministry of Christ. Yet he warns us that we, “do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. In fact, he tells us “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”

 It is not about the person the message is written on but the person that has written the message.

   We are but the vessel, not the contents. We are rather ordinary and ignominious, but his name on us makes us valuable. As we carry the name of Christ, that is what is to be glorified, not ourselves.