2 Corinthians 4:5–12

5We do not preach about ourselves. We preach about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we serve you because of him.

6God said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” (Genesis 1:3) He made his light shine in our hearts. It shows us the light of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

7Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn’t come from us.

8We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn’t make us lose hope. 9Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out. 10We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies.

11We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. So his life can be shown in our earthly bodies. 12Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.