You may have a set of good dishes that come out only for very special occasions. And like me, you rarely use them. Well, it seems that in the Bible days, wealthy homes had two sets of dishes as well… dishes for special occasions and dishes for everyday use. The apostle Paul uses this analogy when writing to Timothy. He likens the good dishes (or utensils) to the honorable work God gives to His people. Hence, it appears from this passage in 2 Timothy that God gives His really important work to certain people. And Paul tells us who they are.
We may think that God chooses the gregarious speakers, the ones with extraordinary gifts, the ones with the largest following, or the ones who are the most successful for His important work. And with that… we think that He would never choose little ole’ me. Well, that’s not what Paul says. In our key passage, Paul says that those who “keep themselves pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).
And then he goes on to explain it further. He lists several criteria in 2 Timothy 2:22 that God looks for when important work is passed out. Here they are…
First, Run from temptation! Satan knows what temps us and we must know it as well. Run from anything that takes your attention away from God. Run from anything that lures you into sin. The writer of Hebrews says it like this: “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” (Hebrews 12:1).
Second, pursue…
Righteous living! This means that we are to live right. Live biblically. Being careful to follow the mandates of Scripture. We have already been made with God but it’s important that we live in that right standing.
Faithfulness! This means that we remain faithful to God and to His people. People can trust us. People confide in us, look to us as a mentor, and use us as an example… all because we have remained faithful. Faithfulness is a valuable quality we need to strive for.
Love! We love deep and with great intensity. Our love extends to everyone. We love the way Jesus loves us. We put other’s needs above our own.
Peace! We seek to live in harmony with others, always uniting rather than dividing.
Christian community! This one is so important because it’s Christians who help Christians grow. In fact, it’s important we are involved in the right Christian community. Paul says, “Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22). In other words, we are to surround ourselves with Christians who are seeking God above all else. I have my community. Do you?
We should never settle for a little (or for everyday usage). We should want God to use us for His greater purposes. So, when we have the right pursuits and we live this way, then God will use us for His noblest work. Imagine that!