by Dr. Paul Chappell
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:20-22
Many people have a favorite glass or cup that they use frequently. Perhaps it is a mug for coffee in the morning or a tall glass for iced tea in the afternoon. If that container is available, they will grab it first and use it. Many people have a set of expensive or fancy glasses that they only use on formal occasions like a family holiday gathering or dinner with a special guest. They wouldn't normally think of grabbing one of those for a drink of water. The use of any cup is pretty straightforward. We put the liquid in and drink it. It works the same way no matter what we are drinking. But there is one quality that people insist on when having a drink. It is not the color or size or shape or function of the cup, but whether the cup is clean.
All of us have been given different talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts. The things that make us ready to be used by God is not any of those, but rather whether our lives are clean. God does not need our resources to add to His work. He chooses to use us, not because He needs help, but so that we have an opportunity to glorify Him. While we should strive to use whatever God has given to us to achieve as much as possible for His kingdom, we must first be clean. “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11).
It is our responsibility to keep our lives clean to increase our usefulness in God's service.
