I
love music. I am in awe of people who can play musical instruments. I have
tried but just don’t have the ability or commitment to learn and develop any
musical ability. In all my love of music, I have never given a compliment to a
musical instrument. I have complimented a musician. It is the musician who makes
the instrument sound beautiful and moves us emotionally.
The
Bible refers to us, followers of Jesus, as vessels. Vessels are containers.
They contain or hold something. As followers of Jesus, we contain the Holy
Spirit.
The
Holy Spirit dwells within us and contains or should contain or control us.
The
things that make a good vessel are twofold.
2
Timothy 2:20-21
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. 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.
The
first thing that makes a vessel or instrument noble or honorable is whether or
not it is clean.
No
one would choose to drink out of a dirty glass. No one would choose to eat off
a dirty dish. The truth is that we would rather drink out of a glass or eat off
a dish that was ugly but clean over a glass or dish that was beautiful but
dirty.
A
person can look great on the outside. They can have a great appearance and even
a great personality and not be clean and thus not usable to God.
A
person can be very unimpressive to the world but be clean and be usable to God.
What
cleanses us?
According
to 1 John 1:9 when we agree with God or confess our sin God not only forgives
us, He also cleanses us.
Confessing
our sins or agreeing with God over what we did being sin allows God to cleanse
us.
Then
in 1 John 1:7 we are told that the blood of Jesus is the actual component by
which Jesus cleanses us.
When
we are cleansed, we are then:
Made
Holy
Made
Useful to Jesus
Prepared
for All the Good Works God Has for Us
Raise the Roof and
Remove the Walls
is being clean vessels usable to Jesus.
2
Corinthians 4:7
But
we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us.
The
second thing that makes a vessel or instrument usable to God is that it is
open.
To
be able to see this power of God, the jar or vessel has to be open so that
others can see in.
When
a vessel is closed, it can only contain what is its own size, nothing larger.
When
a vessel is open, it has no limitations.
When
we are open, we can contain the Holy Spirit and the power of God is flowing in
our lives.
We
as human beings are finite. We cannot contain the infinite if we are closed. We
can only contain the infinite if we are open.
If
we are to be open vessels for Jesus, we have to turn the authority of our lives
over to Jesus and let Him be the sole authority of our lives.
Raise the Roof and
Remove the Walls
is being open vessels under the authority of Jesus.
A
vessel is only as good as what fills the vessel.
When
I open my life to Jesus and let Him clean me, then I will be a vessel that will
bring honor to Him.
I
pray that you will be a clean, open vessel filled to the very top with the Holy
Spirit, thus bringing great honor to Jesus.
As
an Open and Clean Vessel Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
No comments:
Post a Comment