Vessels For Honor

-January 19, 2022-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 2:21).

There is no doubt that the Lord wants to use us in His service. You, yes you; me, yes me. With all our flaws, weaknesses, frailties, and limitations—God can use us. To be used we must be clean vessels, vessels for honor. Merriam-Webster defines the word vessel as, “a person into whom some quality (such as grace) is infused.” That certainly summarizes each believer who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Exactly how do we become vessels of honor in a practical way? Paul gives the answer in today’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ “Vessels for honor are sanctified, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

• Sanctified – The word sanctified means set apart. The Lord’s vessels must be clean, separated from the world, and set apart for the Lord. None of us are perfect, but God can use us for His glory. He gets all the credit for what He does through us. Peter wrote, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

• Useful For The Master – All of us want to be useful, profitable, and fruitful for the Lord. The slave Onesimus was unprofitable to his master Philemon. He rebelled, stole from his master, and ran away to Rome and landed in jail where Paul was. Paul won him to Christ and sent him back to Philemon as a brother in Christ. The one who was unprofitable became profitable; the one who was useless became useful. Are you useful to the Master? Paul described the new Onesimus in Philemon 1:11, “who was once unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.”

• Prepared For Every Good Work – Vessels for honor are always ready, willing, and able to serve in the Lord in season and out of season, whether a task is easy or hard, convenient or inconvenient, whether it costs in time, effort, or in money. Paul told Titus, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1). Are you ready for every good work?

May the Lord help us to be vessels for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work today and every day. Have a blessed day being a blessed servant, to bless others in a blessed way. Stay safe and healthy.

You’re never too young or too old to serve the Lord,

Dean