Vessel of Honor

2Timothy 2:20-21 -  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.
 

 We are all vessels. Just as earthen vessels serve different purposes, we are all people carrying various things - burdens, joys, talents, and sorrows. Some vessels are tall and beautiful while others are short and round. Some are beautiful and ornate while some are plain. Some vessels sit on a shelf and never are used. And yet some vessels are broken and unused. The truth is we are all different; we are all unique. But we share one thing in common - we were created by the same master. Our Lord expertly designed us to be vessels created for his pleasure. But yet some of us do not fulfill our purpose. We are not vessels of honor. The truth is you might feel like a broken vessel- someone without true value or worth.

  I want to talk about three stages to becoming a vessel of honor. I hope that this devotional will be a help to you. These thoughts have been a huge help to me.

Isaiah 64:8 - But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 

1) The Clay 

 Romans 9:21 - Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 

When you look at a beautiful vessel, you don't think of the clay that made it do you? No, because that's not what you see when you look at it. You see something beautiful and complete. But yet before that vessel was beautiful it was just a lump of clay. It had no form, it had no beauty, and it seemed to have no purpose. And on its own that clay would never have become something beautiful.  

The thing that makes a vessel beautiful is not the clay from which it is made but the hand that forms it. 

If you are anything like me, at times, you probably feel like you have no use. That you cannot do anything remarkable or noteworthy. You feel hurt and alone....maybe you even feel incomplete. The truth is - sometimes that is where God wants us to be. God can use a a lump of clay even more than he can use a completed vessel. You might think that sounds ridiculous, but does it really? Think about it. A potter takes something that seems useless. Just a lump of clay. But once he gets a hold of that clay he molds and makes it into something beautiful - something honorable. You can't make something that's already been made. It's nearly impossible for God to use someone who thinks he's good enough on his own and doesn't need any help. Potters don't just add to something that is already done. They remake and they remold. We need to get to the place in our lives where we are willing to say, "Here I am Lord. I'm broken and useless and I can do nothing on my own. But I know that you can make me into something more. I know that you can make me a vessel of honor." On our own we really are nothing but a lump of clay, but when we put our lives in God's hands then he can make us something more.

2) The molding 

When a potter forms his clay into a beautiful piece of pottery it is a very long and difficult process. The potter shapes the clay by evenly distributing water throughout the surface of the clay. Often, it is hard to do this because of air bubbles. The potter must get rid of the air bubbles on the clay's surface before he can form it the way he pleases. 

  I think this is an incredible illustration. The Bible says that God is the potter and we are the clay. So, this means that God must mold us to become His vessel.  He must apply water (His Word) to us to mold us as he pleases. But so often we get distracted by this world and we start to fill our lives up with other things (TV, music, celebrities, money, etc.) and this forms "air bubbles". It comes between us and God. It keeps Him from molding us as He wants.  For us to become a vessel of honour we must get rid of the distractions in our lives. The Bible says that we can be either a vessel of honour or dishonour. When we allow things of this world to create "air bubbles" in our lives we become unfit for the master's use. The Lord can't use us without us surrounding ourselves with his Word and giving Him full control. We must get rid of the sin in our lives to let God form us into His vessel of honour.

3) The Fire

The third phase is the hardest, but yet the most vital. Once the potter has molded his creation, it is still not completed. Why? Well because the clay is still very sensitive to it's surroundings. If it were to be touched it would be bent, and if it were to be dropped it would break. It is still too pliable. So, it must be sealed. Potters finish their creation by putting it in the fire. This finishes the pottery and allows them to glaze it with a design. The very same thing must be true for us.

 Molding us into a vessel is not enough. It's maintaining the vessel that's the most important.

  You may let the Lord mold you the way he wants, but then how easy is it for us to break out of that mold? How often do we decide we want to have our own way? God not only wants to mold us into a vessel of honor but he wants us to continually be a vessel of honor. He sends trials our way. Sometimes he just has to send the fire. Not for us to be hurt but to heal us. 

Not to mold us but to make us.

 Are you a vessel of honour? Have you let the Lord mold you? Many times we break away from God when he sends the fire. We loose faith in Him and start heading down our own path.  We must realize that without the molding, and without the fire, we would still be just a lump of clay. Are you willing to let God be your master? Are you willing to let him take you through the fire? Because that is the only way to become a 

VESSEL OF HONOUR

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way
Thou art the potter, I am the clay
Mold me and make me after Thy willWhile I am waiting, yielded and still 

Keep shining bright

~Brittney