Noble Purpose

"Nevertheless,

God's solid foundation stands firm,

sealed with this inscription:

'The Lord knows those who are his,'

and,

'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord

must turn away from wickedness.'

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver,

but also of wood and clay;

some are for special purposes

and some for common use.

those who cleanse themselves from the latter

will be instruments for special purposes,

made holy, useful to the Master

and prepared to do any good work.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness,

faith, love and peace,

along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

2 Timothy 2:19-22

As a young child, I remember the precious china my mother would bring out on special occasions.  Every time I saw her carefully placing those pieces on the table, I knew it must be a holiday or some kind of celebration.

Over the years, I grew older and more mature and was trusted to help set the table with her intricately designed plates, beautiful silverware and delicate stemware.  I understood that these pieces were not for everyday use.  Since they were so valuable, my mother was careful to store them up high in the cabinet, away from the regular dishes so they wouldn't get chipped, scratched or broken. 

I am like that china.  Because of my position as God's child through faith in Jesus Christ, I am set aside for His purpose.  I am not just here to live a common life led by my own fleshly desires, selfish ambitions and pursuit of comfort. 

Instead, I am here for my Father in heaven.  He can decide to use me as He desires, in the same way that mother decided to use her china, but I must be willing.  If I turn away from my own natural tendencies which run counter to God's ways, I am free to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.  In so doing, I will be used for His noble purposes.

Instrument of Righteousness

I love to work in the yard.  There is something about being out in the fresh air laboring in the dirt while the serenade of chirping birds spurs me on that brings a song to my heart.  In my garage I have a variety of tools, each with a different use.  When the ground is hard and unyielding, I bring out the hoe to break up the soil and turn loose the weeds.  If I run into a patch of hard clay, I choose the pick ax.  In order to dig a hole for a new tree or bush, I grab the shovel to use for that job.  

Wouldn't I be surprised if I walked into my garage to grab the hoe only to have the tool retort, "Hold on!  I don't think you should pick me.  How about using the shovel instead?"  The instruments I use for gardening don't have any say in how I use them; they are simply there for my purpose.  I decide which is best suited for each particular job.

So it is with the Master Potter.  He molded me into the shape He desired according to His purposes. (Romans 9:20-21)  In this way I am considered by God as an instrument of righteousness. (Romans 6:13)  As my Creator, He chooses how I am to be used for His glory.  The only question is: Am I willing to go where He leads me? 

I will be used for His noble purposes when I place myself into His hands as a willing instrument.

Useful to God

He really made a good case for himself.  He justified his actions, denying his disobedience to the Lord's commands.  Saul cried out in his defense,   "But I did obey the Lord!" (1 Samuel 15:20)

In reality,  King Saul had defied the Lord's commands as delivered through the prophet Samuel.  He did attack the Amelekites, as instructed, but instead of completely destroying them, he spared the king along with the best of the animals.  The soldiers were willing to demolish those things that were weak and despised, but as for the things that caught their eye as valuable, they spared.

Saul lost his anointing that day.  (1 Samuel 15:26)  In order to be useful to God, I must be willing to obey, even if it goes against what I judge as good or right.  Saul was lured into disobedience by using his own sense of right and wrong and being tempted to spare those things that seemed too good to destroy.  What he failed to do, however, is to submit to God's overarching plan.   From then on, God could not trust Saul to do as He bid, so He discontinued His use of him.

I will be used by God for His noble purposed when He finds me to be obedient and faithful to Him alone.

Prepared to Act

I grew up on the outskirts of a small town in Washington state that was serviced by a volunteer fire department.  When an emergency occurred, the alarm in town would sound and every fire fighter who was available would rush to the fire house.  They often left their vehicles parked wherever they ended up and didn't bother to close their doors as they jumped out and ran to the fire engine.  Whether it was a fire, accident or medical emergency, the health and well-being of the victims depended upon the readiness of these selfless volunteers.

I, too, must be ready to drop everything and spring into action at the moment my Father sounds the alarm.  It could be a broken heart that needs a word of encouragement, or an innocent child who needs protection, or a marriage that needs intervention.  Whatever the crisis, when God calls, I better be prepared to act.

I will be used by God for His noble purposes when I am prepared to jump into action whenever He calls.

I don't always think of myself as special, but God does.  He has created me as His child for a special purpose.  Because of this, it is up to me to keep myself protected from the evil that can tarnish my usefulness.  I must choose to let Him use me as He sees fit, to cultivate an obedient spirit, and to stay ready for whatever job He has for me to do.  In this way, God will be glorified as He carries out His noble purpose in my life.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can see myself as God sees me.

When do I treat myself as common, letting all sorts of corruption enter into my heart?

How am I hampering my readiness by sitting back on my heals instead of maintaining a state of  eagerness?