OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL For Tuesday 1 April 2014 "VESSEL OF HONOUR" BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL For Tuesday 1 April 2014 "VESSEL OF HONOUR?" BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 2:21

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.

Read: 2 Timothy 2:20-21

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.

21 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.

Message

Our God is a God of purpose and plan. He does not do anything just for the sake of doing it. When He wanted to create man in Genesis 1:26 He said:

“...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Also, when God sent His only begotten Son to the world, it was for this purpose:

”…for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21c

In the same vein, when God saved you and called you to Himself, it was for a purpose. You are not in Church just to add to the numbers. Every child of God must find out the purpose of God for his or her life within the community of believers. Also, every child of God must ensure that he or she is qualified to perform such duties as required of honourable vessels. While some vessels are shameful and ignoble, there are others that are glorious and majestic. The striking thing about this truth is that it is inevitable to have both honourable and shameful vessels in the Church! The task before every sincere child of God is to ensure that he or she is a vessel of honour.

How can one be a vessel of honour? The memory verse for today answers this question. Every child of God must purge himself or herself of anything sinful. Jesus Christ gave the standard we must attain to be vessels of honour when he said in Matthew 5:48:

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

How can we practically attain this? Part of the process required is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, which says that we should not touch the unclean thing but rather, we should separate ourselves from the world of darkness. A vessel of honour according to the Psalmist does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1). Beloved, if you want to be used of God for good works, be ready to pay the price of a true disciple and live holy. The Lord will not only use you, He will also reward you handsomely according to Mark 10:28-30. Our Lord Jesus Christ promised a hundredfold return of everything we consider good that we have left for the sake of serving Him, alongside with eternal life.

Action Point:

Examine your life to know what you need to purge from it, and pray that God will make you a vessel of honour in His vineyard.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 35:1-37:14 and PSALM 74:1-11