-devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)
In the “real” world, our status is so often measured by worldly things – your family, your job, your home, your car, your social circle, your financial reality…the list goes on. However, status in this sense means very little to God. It doesn’t matter what we are “made of.” It matters whether we are pure.
Verse 20 in 2 Timothy 2 says, “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.” If we looked at these materials from a worldly standpoint, we would obviously deem gold and silver as much more valuable, and wood and clay as more standard and unpolished. However, gold and silver can be impure. They may look bright and shiny on the outside, but impurities can lurk, and often it takes more than just a skin-deep glance to determine this. On the other hand, raw wood is primitive and simple in nature, but can be pure in its constitution. The opposite can be true of each element, but the point is, outward status alone cannot determine something’s purity.
In verse 21 Paul tells us that if we cleanse ourselves of dishonorable, impure things, we can be “set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” Cleansing from impure things and setting our hearts and minds on the word of God and His heart and will makes us vessels that He can use for good.
I am not someone who the world would look at and say “oh, she has made it!” My status in this life is pretty average. But, I am a child of God and my desire isn’t to be looked upon in envy by the world, but to be used by God as a vessel for His good. I want to have a pure heart and mind, so I can be God’s agent, out in the world, proclaiming His name and working as the hands and feet of Jesus. In this life, I’ll happily be the clay, a long as He is the potter.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you look up to anyone who the world would consider a high-status person? Why? Why not?
- If you’re being honest with yourself, do you sometimes wish you could reach a certain worldly status? What would you consider that to be?
- How do you want to be used by God? What is holding you back?
Prayer:
God, thank you for seeing my heart. Thank you for not looking at my status in this world to determine my worth. Thank you for seeing me for who I am, and shaping me into someone who can be used for your good. Help me to cleanse myself of impurities so I can wholeheartedly serve you and honor you. Amen.
Seek Grow Love 