We may wonder who can be useful and honored by God. This will be a great achievement in every believer’s life. But most believers’ do not know the truth about it. They have a very wrong understanding about this. If any believer continues to live with a wrong understanding he will have great shame and disappointment on the final day. So it is very important to understand the truth and experience it in our life.
2 Tim. 2:20-21 “ 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” It is not the quantity of work or the type of work you do that determines whether you are useful and bring honor to God. Here the Holy Spirit is making it very clear that “if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work”. Through Adam’s sin, all human beings need cleansing from their wickedness. If anyone really has a passion for holiness, he will abstain from all wickedness and cleanse himself from all sins. He will repent from all his sins at the earliest. He does not want to see any speck of sin on him even for a moment. He will separate himself from the world for God and he will be useful for his Master. At all times, he will be prepared to do all good work (from God, by God and for God). Thus he will be a vessel of honor. This is the best life any believer can have on this earth.
Lust is the root cause that leads us to temptation, sin and death. James 1:14,15 “ 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death”. So if anyone wants to be free from sin, he has to flee from all lusts. 2 Tim 02:22 “ Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Here, the Holy Spirit is encouraging us to flee from all lusts. Lust is in its youth all the time. So irrespective of age, everyone has to flee from lust and should pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. We should always look for the fellowship of those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
To become a vessel of honor and useful for the master we have to look for the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit has to burn every trace of sin from our life. We all know that the Apostles were not at all useful for the Lord till the day of Pentecost. Even after having so much fellowship and training by Lord Jesus Christ, they failed utterly. After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with them proving to them that He is alive after the suffering. He spoke to them concerning the kingdom of heaven, but still they could not be useful for their Master. But on the day of Pentecost they all became mighty weapons in the hands of God. People who saw them afterwards marveled at them and the power that they were having. Acts 02:03 “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them”. The Holy Spirit burned every trace of sin from their life and made them useful for their Master.
To become a vessel of honor & useful for the master,look for the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit
Many believers have a very wrong understanding about the reason of the anointing on Jesus Christ. They think that since He is the Son of God he lived in the fullness of the Holy Spirit during His earthly days. But we can see the truth in Heb 01:09 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.“. Here the Holy Spirit explains the reason for the anointing on Jesus Christ on the earthly days. We have no doubt that Jesus is the ONLY man and God used Him completely and perfectly on the earth. He is the ONLY man who received full honor from God.
The God and Father of Jesus Christ is the God and Father for all disciples (John 20:17). The Father loves every disciple of Jesus Christ in the same way He loved Jesus (John 17:23)
May God help all of us to cleanse from all our sins and have un-quenching thirst for holiness.
