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.
2 Timothy 2: 20,21
I mentioned in a previous blog(The Master Potter) that the process from mere clay to the well-crafted and exquisite finished product is a process of complete change for the clay.
It is a painful transformation done by the Potter working on the clay; breaking, shaping, tossing and turning the clay.
Then,to produce the final gleaming pottery, the vessel is fired in the kiln , which is a furnace of red hot fire!
In order to come out beautiful and be a "cut above the rest"; a finished work of the highest standard; the clay must be submissive and trust the Potter's expertise.
"If he purges himself, he shall be a vessel unto honour".
He would get a nod of approval from his Maker and the admiration of all men. Amen.
God, the Master Craftsman, could mould a piece of common , dirty clay into the finest pottery , made for special occasions and for special displays.
He sees the end of a thing and of a person from their beginning.
He is faithful so he equips his selected vessels adequately by expertly making them to his own specifications.
He makes different vessels for different purposes.
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen , yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1 Corinthians 1:28,29.
When God gives an assignment,he gives his messengers the grace to perform it.
God did not chose any of the men or girls from the noble and wealthy families of Israel to be the earthly parents of his Son Jesus Christ. He chose a poor carpenter, Joseph of Nazareth and a young virgin Mary.
God gave Mary the grace to submit to God's will and to accept the honour bestowed on her and he gave Joseph the grace for wisdom and strength to accept and protect Mary and her pregnancy. Matthew 1:18-25.
Ungodly men would have disbelieved God, rebelled and raised an alarm to destroy Mary and her unborn child!
When Jesus began his earthly ministry ,he chose his 12 disciples from the working class. Except Luke , who was a physician most of them were uneducated artisans, mainly fishermen.
Throughout his ministry , Jesus sought out and befriended the lowly,the sick and the rejected ones in his community.
Jesus visited and ate with "sinners" to the surprise of his enemies.
Some people would disregard and shun poor people and unrepentant sinners.
Most men of God would avoid like a plague, any situation where they would be seen with and even talking to divorced women.
But Jesus sat and discussed with the serial divorcee, the woman of Samaria, at the Sychar well!
Due to that encounter, she became the first female evangelist of the Gospel; commissioned by the Lord Jesus himself.
He made her a vessel of his honour and sent her to go tell her city about Jesus.
She obeyed his will and many souls accepted the Gospel in a single day.John 4:1- 42.
The Demoniac of Gedara was an entity which no man or woman would touch with a long pole!
His case was so hopeless that his family and entire city had given up hope on him!
Himself had even withdrawn from living amongst humans to make his abode among the tombs. He was possessed with a legion of demons; screaming and cutting himself with stones. No chains could restrain him.
Until that fateful day when he rushed out of the tombs to meet Jesus Christ; and the two of them stood eyeball-to eyeball!
The raving and violent lunatic , who no man could confront, bowed and worshiped Jesus Christ.
And like every thing and every knee , in heaven , in the earth and things under the earth should bow at the name of Jesus. That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11.
Then,the man of Gedara's life, his story, and reputation changed! He went forth, transformed into a vessel bearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark 5:1-20.
Mary Magdalene ,was possessed with seven devils and afflicted with infirmities( Luke 8:2)She was delivered after her encounter with Jesus and to show her gratitude, she became a close follower, aide and worshipper of Jesus.
She was at the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus John 19:25,Matthew 27:58-61.
She was the first human being to see the Risen Saviour at the Tomb of Jesus. Mark16:9.John 20:11-18
The devil has used men and women to write books , make films and documentaries to publish falsehoods about this beautiful relationship between this faithful servant , Mary and her Lord, Jesus.
Their judgement from God awaits them. It will be swift and terrible, unless they confess and repent of their sins.Proverbs 28:13.
Some times , God uses tribulation and great humiliation to break down men's resistance against him and to bring about their conversion.
Saul of Tarsus was at the core of the persecution and killing of the early Christians.
As a sworn enemy of Jesus Christ, of his Gospel and his followers; Saul thought nothing could stop him because he was fighting and killing "for God". Acts 9:1-22.
Until he encountered Jesus Christ!
On his way to Damascus ,to kill more Christians, he was struck down , blinded , thoroughly humiliated and led by hand to seek the help of the very Christians he was going to hunt down!
Thereafter, he was transformed to Paul , the greatest Apostle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Even today, God can perform the same transformation in your life and in my life as he has done for all these vessels of honour , mentioned here.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday ,and today and forever. Hebrew 13:8
God is using men,women and children to do his will on earth ; to make this world a better place for everyone.Their works and inventions are being enjoyed by everyone.
However,while some people have yielded themselves to be used by God , others have chosen the opposite option; to be used by the Devil.
Is your life story that from first thing in the morning till you sleep, you think and plot evil? Satan has been using you to steal, to kill and to destroy? To hatch out plans of your next big lie, houses to burgle, your next fraud victims, kidnap and murder victims; or the next boys , girls, men or women to deceive and seduce.
The list is endless. These are just a few of the fruits borne by the life which is unyielded to God. John 8:43,44.
You need the Good Shepherd. John 10:7--18
Do not be deceived . Maybe you have believed the lie that God cannot be interested in someone like you, that you are too steeped in a depraved lifestyle.
God is merciful and forgiving . He loves you but he hates your sinful lifestyle. Submit your life to him in prayer now and he will beautify every thing that concerns you.
Or are you considered to be " irredeemably violently insane" by everybody ?
Maybe your demons are uncountable and your Satan-induced mental derangement is worse than that of the Demoniac of Gedara!
You are , always, at war with yourself, with something and everything and with everybody! Forever, howling,railing and ranting about something or about nothing!
Although you could be smiling ,looking gentle and harmless, people who know you are not fooled by your demeanor!
Your rejection is so widespread that nobody wants you in their lives, near their homes ,in their neighbourhoods and in their countries. Even when you manage to sneak in, nobody feels safe around you.You are under constant surveillance because they know what you can do.
You need a brain transplant and a rebirth from the Great Physician ,Jesus Christ!
An encounter,today, with the Prince of Peace, will change your reputation.
Have you been despised, hated ,persecuted and falsely accused because you are serving the Lord Jesus, faithfully? The Lord knows your accusers and persecutors.
He will sort them out and he will continue to beautify and promote you before them.
When you call , he will answer. In the day of his visitation, be prepared to submit , wholly, to him and he will surprise you for good. Amen.
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