“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 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.” 2 Timothy 2:19-21 (KJV)
Prepared to do every good work . . . now there’s something to consider. Yet, we falsely accuse ourselves of inadequacy and unworthiness to do anything. Our commiserations end up being just so much false humility and hypocrisy. Consider this issue from the view of God’s power, adequacy, and sufficiency. You and I do not stand or fall on our ability, adequacy, or worthiness! We are saved, supported, and sent out by the power of God’s work on Calvary.
Although Paul’s letter and message was to his pastor-trainee, perhaps we can achieve a better understanding for our personal lives. If the foundation of God is certain and solid, then we can trust it! If God’s guarantee is that He knows who are His children and His servants, then we can trust His grace! Yet, Paul goes further. We must also understand that there are different utensils in every great house. Some are useful for honorable purposes and others are useful for less honorable purposes. Perhaps we should think in terms of importance rather than honor. Paul’s context here is about utility not value. His metaphor points to our usefulness in the Lord’s house not to our value. Remember, Paul’s focus is on the importance of the purpose and not on the utensil being used.
Perhaps Paul was trying to get timid Timothy to transform his perspective from himself to God and God’s purpose that Timothy was assigned to achieve. So what is Paul’s prescription? First, depart from iniquity. Stop making excuses about what we can or cannot do. We can depart from iniquity . . . so turn away from wickedness or stop confessing to be a Christ follower. Second, purge yourself from being a less honorable utensil. Now, consider this exhortation carefully. In our homes, the utensils are not able to change. Whatever purpose they were made for is the only purpose they will ever be able to achieve. In God’s house however, His saints can change themselves by cleansing themselves. The context here points to qualifying oneself for greater purposes. This is why people go to school and become trained . . . to be qualified for greater purposes (i.e. a better job, more salary, etc). For a pastor or saint of God, this purging is a two-fold process. First, there is the spiritual cleansing perhaps of mind and perspective. If we think we do not need to change, grow, or improve, then we must stopping making excuses and achieve honorable purposes. Second, there is the cleansing of ability and qualification. We want to gain knowledge and skill that will enable us to be of greater usefulness in God’s house. A person who cleanses him/herself in this manner will be “an instrument . . . useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (v. 21 NIV). No more excuses!
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Empower us with a cleansing, improving mentality. Enable us to prepare ourselves to be fully useful in your house. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today with no more excuses,