A Faithful Sower

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

2 Timothy 2:21

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandma. We played games, sang songs, and watched TV. She helped me with my homework and taught me how to cook. I can’t remember all the details of the time we spent together, but one thing that I remember clearly was Grandma’s chair. Grandma had an old recliner, set right up facing the TV. I don’t ever remember getting in trouble for sitting in it, but when Grandma came to sit down, I moved. 

That’s just the way it was. It was Grandma’s chair. In a lot of ways, this is very similar to our relationship with God. God calls for us to be holy, to be set apart from the rest of the world, and dedicated to Him. He doesn’t mind sharing our time or our attention sometimes, but when push comes to shove, and it’s time to move, we need to remember that we belong to Him.

2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” Paul tells Timothy to not just focus on doing that which is honorable but also to refrain from that which is dishonorable, and in that God will find an honorable use for him as His vessel.

Too often, we forget that there are two sides to our relationship with God. We are called to both love and honor God, both to sacrifice and to obey. It is one thing to demonstrate our love for God through works, but if done with a disobedient heart, then God is not honored by our sacrifice. Rather, God desires that we would empty our lives of all that is dishonorable in order that He might fill our lives with His honorable purpose and set us toward the good work of advancing His gospel.

As you consider how you might honor God this week, consider the following:

• Mind Your Eyes – The world today has little to no concept of modesty. Men and women alike go out of their ways to make themselves look and feel sexy. There are very few television programs that do not contain sexually explicit material, and the Internet is covered with images that are meant to arouse desire and lust. In this sexually charged world, we must be cautious about what we allow ourselves to see.
  
• Mind Your Ears – Inappropriate and foul language has become fairly commonplace in our society today. It has become so common that it can be near impossible to completely free ourselves from hearing some of these things. However, we can manage our exposure as we seek to cleanse ourselves from what is dishonorable.
  
• Mind Your Mouth – The things that we say do not have to contain inappropriate or foul language in order to be dishonorable. Paul wrote, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29/ESV). Gossip or hateful words damage not only your personal walk with God but also your ministry.
  
• Mind Your Hands – One of the greatest condemnations against the church is that it is filled with hypocrites; people that say one thing but do the opposite. It can be easy to say what is right and good as we consider how God would have us to live our lives, but often our actions do not reflect what we say. Take care not to honor God with your lips and dishonor Him with your hands.

As Christians, we have asked Jesus to be our Savior and our Lord. In doing so, we set ourselves apart to be dedicated and submitted to Him. We honor God most by showing the world the difference that He has made in our lives. We honor God most when we no longer seek to live according to the world, but according to His will. We honor God most as we allow Him to cleanse our lives of that which is dishonorable and become vessels ready for every good work.

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^{Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.}

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