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
This corresponds to being a mighty man with arrows in Psalm 127. For us to have arrows means that we are prepared unto every good work. How can we be prepared? Only when we take a stand to purify ourselves.
We must purge and deal with what we are by nature. We must refuse to be earthen, common, and low. If we desire to be a vessel unto honor, then that is something high. It requires a great price, with a bold consecration: “Lord, I don’t want to be so natural and common! I stand against myself! I want to be a gold and silver vessel! I want to be a mighty man with arrows! I desire to pay the price to be useful to You! I desire to be prepared unto every good work!”
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 70.
Monday: “The Fruit of Maturity”