2 Timothy 2:20
“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.”
Have you ever visited someone’s home as a child, and when you saw something, you went to reach for it only to be told, “Don’t touch it.” Everyone has those one or two things you have on display in your house that you don’t want anyone touching because they are considered valuable or irreplaceable.
In the verse above, God shows that the Christian is a “great house” for Him. In other words, you are precious and valuable to God. He implores the Christian to take inventory of their life and remove those things from their life that keep them from becoming a great house for Him. Let me show you several observations about these verses that will help you to make your life a great house for the LORD.
First, identify those things in your life that hinder you from becoming a great house for God. In your life there are vessels “to honour, and some to dishonour.” You must be honest with yourself when looking at those things in your life that either impede you from doing the LORD’s work or are a great contributor to what He wants you to do. Looking through the prism of God’s Word is the only way to identify what is and is not valuable in your life for the LORD.
Second, be willing to purge yourself from those things that are a hindrance. Verse 21 tells the Christian to purge himself from those vessels of “dishonour.” You must immediately start working on those areas of your life that are keeping you from being used greatly by God. Let me warn you that this won’t be a quick process. Purging takes time, so be patient and continue to work at the cleansing process until you are purged from those things that hinder you from being who you are supposed to be for the LORD.
Third, the more you purge the hindrances, the more valuable the honourable vessels become. It is interesting that the honourable vessels become more valuable when you remove the dishonourable ones. You will find that as you start to put away those things in your life that don’t need to be there, the more the good things in your life will be evident to others. Furthermore, the more you purge yourself from the dishonourable, the more you will desire the honourable.
Fourth, only do those things that contribute to making you a great house. Some things in life are not wrong, but they don’t contribute to what God wants you to become. If what you are doing doesn’t make you more honourable for the LORD, you would be wise not to do it. Your purpose in life is to be that Christian whom God can use. You must be willing to avoid doing anything, even those things you enjoy, that will keep you from becoming a great house for God.
Fifth, you will only become a vessel of honour when you separate from anything or anyone who keeps you from becoming the great house. Friend, there are people, things and activities from which and whom you must separate if you want God to use you. You must not look at the separation as something that keeps you from enjoying life, but look at it as the key to making you more valuable to the LORD. If you will do these things, you will be meet for the Master’s use and prepared to do anything for Him.