Being Vessels of Honor – A New Way of Living

Throughout the first half of this year, we have been learning a new way of living, but also new ways of looking at God and ourselves. We know that while we were still far from Him, He loved us and sought us out. He forgave our sins and offered us an abundant life here on earth, with eternity to follow in heaven. On top of that, He created us with specific abilities and a unique personality with which we can reach others for Him.   

In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, Paul provides Timothy with an interesting analogy, “In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for His purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” Using household items to describe our uniqueness as believers, Paul explains how each of us can accomplish great things though we, too, are works in progress becoming vessels of honor for Him.   

The challenge comes in allowing God to clean us up and prepare us for every good work He has for us. God wants to grow us up to a higher level of integrity to mold us for the Master’s (His) service. The Greek word Paul uses here is dispotus meaning a ruler with absolute power and authority over others. We usually think of God as a Friend, Savior, and Protector, but He is also LORD and Master. When we allow God to take charge of our lives, He can fulfill His purpose in us.  

We become servants and subsequently servant-leaders by acting honorably, offering our bodies as living sacrifices and renewing our minds. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, why renewing our minds is crucial, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” May we, as we go through this week, take our thoughts captive and compare them to the truth of the Bible in order to win in the spiritual war of which we are a part of as Christ followers.