He who has hope has everything
Consecrated and Profitable
What kind of vessel am I if I murmur and complain about what I am to do or hold?
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.
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. II Timothy 2: 20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver,
but also (utensils) of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable
and noble (use) and some for menial and ignoble (use). So whoever
cleanses himself (from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates
himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences)
will (then himself) be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and
noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and
ready for any good work. II Timothy 2:20-21 Amplified Bible
My mug doesn’t complain about what I put in it:
coffee, cocoa, hot water & lemon …
Sometimes I use the mug as a prop for a dish or a pan,
it still doesn’t mind.
It waits for whatever use I choose for it.
Why is it so hard to accept and wait?
I know God has said ‘My ways are not your ways;
and my thoughts are not your thoughts’.
If I determine to follow the direction of the scripture:
to cleanse and separate myself
from the unclean and the contaminating influences;
perhaps then I, too, can wait …patiently….ready …
‘for any good work.’
September 19, Evening tidbit
You are what you eat. So if you eat chocolate, you’re smooth, sweet, loved and maybe a little nuts.
Vessel of Honor
May I be a vessel of honor for the Lord to use to pour out of the abundance of the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
Galatians 5:22-23
…the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence) Galatians 5:22-23 AmplifiedBible
Just a vessel,will no will of its own, just used to pour a little here, a little there, smoothing and calming as the Master directs.
To Be Christ’s Vessel
What is a vessel? A utensil for holding something
I have many mugs. I choose which mug I want to use for my coffee, my tea or to cool bacon drippings. The mug doesn’t help decide or advise how it is used. The mug doesn’t call for special attention. The mug hangs on its hook until called for duty.
Whose vessel am I?
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:24-26
And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. If we live by the (Holy) Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.) Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another. Galatians 5:24-26 Amplified Bible
I must remember:To be Christ’s vessel I must be willing to crucify self, so that the emphasis is on the contents, not the vessel.
Pearls…
Some interesting info that I found online about pearls…and thoughts to go along with the message this morning….
The largest pearl in the world was originally called “Pearl of Allah”, now it is “Pearl of Lao-tze”. It was found at Phillipines, near the Palawan Island. Its diameter is 238 mm, and its weight is 6.4 kg! As it is a natural pearl, its weight is measured in carats, 1280 carats.
To compare: the size of a large akoya pearl is about 7.5 mm, its weight is about 3 carats.
The price of the Pearl of Lao-tze is about 40 million dollars.
http://jewelry.port-arthur.org/pearl_price.htm
Among jewelers and collectors of jewels, real pearls are very valuable. Put the pearl at which I speak of holds a much greater value than the most expensive pearl known to man. It is the pearl of great price, also known as salvation.
I love how practical the Bible is. God is so good to us humans, bringing his word to us in a manner in which we can understand. Jesus spoke in parables for this reason, so we all could understand the plan that God has for us.
In Matthew 13 Jesus likens salvation to a pearl of great price. It reads, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
We can understand this. To be apart of the kingdom of heaven we have to acquire salvation. This is that pearl of great price, a treasure that we find, that is being offered to us, we just have to be willing to sell ALL that we have to obtain that most precious treasure. It is not enough for us to give up just a little, but it will cost us everything, all of our ideas, notions, hopes, wishes, attitudes, dreams, opinions, wants, loved ones, all we have or will have, all we are or ever will be. The cost of this pearl is very great. We have to be willing to sell our self, to give our self completely over to God’s control to receive salvation and be apart of the kingdom of heaven.
There are all kinds of pearls out there, so don’t be deceived into purchasing imitation or cultured pearls. How will you know the difference? I am not an expert on pearls; however after a quick search about pearls it was easy to tell one from the other on price alone. A imitation or cultured pearl necklace can run around $15 at a accessories store at the mall, where as a natural or real pearl necklace can cost more than a couple thousand dollars depending on the quality.
In a spiritual sense, imitation or cultured pearls will allow you to keep some self on board. It may tell you that you can be a Sinning Christian or that you don’t have to forgive every one, or a few lies are ok. Imitation means the result or product of imitating, artificial likeness, a copy, counterfeit. Imitation pearls are fake; they aren’t the real thing, they are just pretending. We need to be careful that we get the real thing. Imitation salvation will not be the key to entering into the Kingdom of heaven, only true salvation will work. Don’t settle or be satisfied with a $15 pearl necklace, sell everything you have and save up to get the thousand dollar one.
Today’s Writing Prompt: Warning
If you wore a WARNING sign that could be read by everyone who meets you and would warn them of something they should know about you, what would it say?
Beware of flying foot, destination mouth.
It’s hard to eat crow with foot in the mouth.
Thoughts of Grace 