20)
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.
21)
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.
22)
Flee also youthful lusts:
but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart.
23)
But foolish and unlearned
questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
24)
And the servant of the
Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25)
In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to
the acknowledging of the truth;
26)
And that they may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are
taken captive by him at his will.
|
H |
e made us vessels of honor, perfect
in our new birth. His salvation plan from the beginning was flawless. He made
us in His likeness and in His image through the new birth, that is, the Baptism
in Jesus' name and the Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives
the utterance. Yet, as quick as God's salvation plan came to us, we just as
quickly shunned it and began to struggle against being vessels of honor unto
Him.
Yes, it will be a struggle to be
vessels of honor unto God when we leave basic tenets concerning our walk in
salvation. One's interest must always be to please his Maker. Yet, a vessel of
honor can become a vessel of dishonor when one's love for himself eclipses his
love for God.
Salvation comes so easily, and can
be lost so quickly because people enter it under threatening and dire
circumstances. Some accept salvation for fear of someone or something, and not
because they wish to lose themselves. So, obviously, when one's natural life
does not seem in immediate danger, so goes one's desire for spiritual life.
However, one who feigns temporary or permanent insanity, trying to play a
psychological game with God, need not forget that He who sits on the
"circle of the earth" knows the very thoughts and intents of man's
heart. Remember, God is the creator of all flesh.
It is a fact that God will not and
cannot give the Holy Ghost to anyone against his will; that the preacher cannot
force the Holy Ghost on anyone; and that God, most assuredly, does not hand out
"devil tongues." Yet, these are the lies those who struggle against
being vessels of honor will part their lips to tell against their Maker and
Deliverer. Because He is bound by His word, God must demand them to
"depart from Him for He knows them not." Why? Because
they never loved Him enough to be vessels of honor.
God knows those who find favor in
belonging to Him. His pleasure rests in those who live to please Him and know
Him. His glory rests on those who do not make provisions for fleshly behavior,
saying, "God doesn't care" or "God understands." One who
engages in such conversation will find himself deceived.
Satan opens opportunities to be
self-led and presents situations that will make us think of ourselves more
highly than we ought. For example, if you lacked admiring looks and glances
before salvation, then if they present themselves after salvation, it's a
deception or trick to make you think you are something that you're not. Thus,
the deception is disguised in looks, phrases, and invitations for fleshly
interest.
Yet, vessels of honor will reflect
and realize that these things presenting themselves are out of the norm. In
turn, they will seek out God's truth through the man of God. Vessels of honor
will always seek truth and find out that God's will is not to put us in sin to
test us. God does not set traps to capture us. He does not seek to kill or
destroy us. His aim is not to deliver us to Hell, but to Glory! What glory does
He receive when one destined for Heaven sets his desires to go the opposite
way?
Since God's purpose was to create and
make us to be in His image and likeness, our vessels must remain honorable
and respectable in the sight of God and in the sight of others.