USABLE VESSELS

Vessel is a somewhat poetic discription of individuals who are available and prepared for service to Jesus. In the book of Romans, Paul the Apostle writes about the potter,[God]and the clay[man]. Paul states in chapter nine verse twenty one, "does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

It is ours to discover what God has made us for. We are the clay vessels. Some of us are made for noble purpose, some for common purpose. It doesn't matter which purpose God made us for. It matters greatly that we are prepared and available. Part of the preparation is cleaning up our act, so that we are uncluttered when pressed into service. Cleaning up our act in cludes having a mind focused on the eternal. This happens when we are well established in scripture and prayer on a daily basis. I'm talking about personal, private, uninterrupted alone time with God everyday, yes, even Sunday. Along with this spiritual discipline comes some very practical habits. Avoid with a vengance the temptations that are the most vexing. If you are viewing pornography, stop it. If your leisure time includes movies with profanity and provacitive activity, stop that also. Get into the habit of replacing those activities with books and music that encourage spiritual growth. Don't give satan an inch. Learn what your triggers are. The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for souls to devour. He knows how to lure us out into the open where we are vulnerable. Get serious about cutting the enemy off. If you are the most vulnerable when you are tired, remind yourself in advance that you are pushing it. If vulnerability comes when you are alone, plan to avoid being alone. If you know that your schedule includes unaccountable alone time, prepare in advance for warfare during those times. Don't turn on the television in your hotel room. Stay away from late night activities. After you have practiced some of these basic behaviors, make your own list of priorities. Learn from your failures. Ask for forgiveness and then press forward.

Usable vessels are clean vessels. Usable vessels experience God's work in a very personal way. Usable vessles have a joy and a purpose that is set apart. Usable vessels are men who are dead to the world and alive in Christ.

Here is a practical illustration. You may have seen the tapes of the young men leaving the terrorists training camps. These men have a tape made describing how they want their funeral to take place. They give instructions to their family about the distribution of their possessions. They consider themselves already dead as they head off to be part of a sleeper cell somewhere in the world. These men are dangerous because they are by their own description, dead. A dead man is a dangerous man. O.K., got it. Now, turn this around. Instead of being a dead man for evil, be a dead man for Christ. Be a dangerous man for Christ. Everytime satan tries to lure you with the world tell him to kiss off. You are dead to the world. And you are living for the greatest challenge and joy that is available to mankind. As you journey in this purpose keep your vessel clean, and Jesus will fill it with with His perfect will.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2006