It is vain for you to rise up early,
to lie down late,
To eat the bread of toil;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Behold, children are a gift of Jehovah,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
— Psalm 127:2-3
But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor. If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work.
— Second Timothy 2:20-21
Paul says, “If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these” We need to be purified from any kind of Christian work that is apart from the Lord.
People prefer being wooden and earthen vessels. To do things as a wooden or earthen vessel can seem simple and effective. But to do something as a gold or silver vessel is not so easy. To be a golden or silver vessel requires a great degree of transformation.
That is why we must “cleanse” ourselves and purify ourselves from these things. In other words, we must take a stand against ourselves. We prefer being wooden or earthen, but we must stand against it. Then we will be “a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work.”
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 70.
Tomorrow: “Natural or Transformed? (4)”