A Servant's Heart
19 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."
20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
22 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. 23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Bee's Thoughts:
Today's devotion is the answer to a visitor's comment on yesterday's devotion. KristieSue said...
"One of the most common excuses I hear about people not wanting to go to church is because of so and so who is at the bar every weekend... or something similar to that. They say if they can live that way and get to heaven then so can I... It's a sad thing how Christians like to pretend. Go to church and act holy and spirit filled and then the rest of the week show no evidence of God."
Well, "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." (v19). A true Christian is one who seeks to live a life that is pleasing to God. He/She may not be perfect yet, but nevertheless, he/she has the desire to learn and grow in Christ.
As a Christian tries to live a life that is righteous, he/she may looks foolish, funny, anti-social, stubborn, etc, to his/her non-Christian friends and the world. It's sad that sometimes a Christian may compromise in order to gain acceptance. Yet God says He knows those who are His... who will not compromise with the world.
Dear Lord.
Thank You for transforming me day by day so that I may be "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (v21). It has been a painful process as You 'mould' and 'polish' me a little at a time in order to remove the worldly parts in me.
Sometimes, I thought I couldn't take the pain anymore, but You always give me strength to go on and not give up. Thank You that through that process I have grown to be stronger and is enjoying Your love more each day. Let me be a faithful servant to You as I live in this transient world.
I love You, Lord. Amen.
Tommy's Thoughts:
Once, I questioned God how He can use me for His purposes, as an instrument of His will. How should I change and live my life differently, to magnify His name to those who are still confused about the truth? What kind of person and attitude I should have in order to share the message effectively to others? What I should run away from to avoid myself to stumble and ended up being a bad example to others?
In today’s passage, Paul advised Timothy not to settle on anything less than God’s highest and best (v. 20-21); to wisely know when and how to run or stay away from situation that can easily lead him to sin (v. 22); to be kind, patience, gentle and tactful when explaining the truth to others; to be a good listener and avoid any foolish, prideful and pointless arguments and debates (v.23-26).
Dear Lord, thank You for Your words speaking to me today; making me aware of the importance as a Christian to pursue the right attitude in every situation; to be a servant and teacher for Your people, leading them to the truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
.......the devotion of Bee & Tommy
