Of Cups and Vessels

Kaitlyn lived a normal life.  She had friends, hobbies, a great family, and went to church every Sunday.  But one day, her normal life was changed.


It started simply enough.  Kaitlyn was busy getting ready for church that morning.  She picked out an outfit that was just right, but then she found the perfect one.  Then she fixed her hair just the way it would complement the perfect outfit.  Kaitlyn and her family walked into church just before the service started.  "Oh, a visiting speaker," Kaitlyn pointed out.  "This should be interesting."


"It is my pleasure to introduce to you this morning, Dr. Randall Sparks," Kaitlyn's pastor told the congregation.  As the applause died down, Dr. Sparks began his message.


"Every day I ask myself, 'Well, what kind of cup will you be today, Randy?'  I know that question sounds a little strange, but there is a purpose behind it.  You see, Paul wrote to his student, Timothy: 'Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work' (2 Timothy 2:20-21).  Paul's exhortation to Timothy has to do with purity.  You see, if something is pure, it is without other substances.  It is completely one thing and only that one thing.  Pure gold, for example, doesn't have any iron in it.  Pure chocolate doesn't have any peanut butter.  If we are to be pure in our walk with God, to be a vessel for honorable use, we must 'cleanse' ourselves, as Paul instructs us, of anything that doesn't honor God, anything that isn't fully for our one goal of glorifying God.  To remind me of this decision I must make every day, I always ask myself, 'What kind of cup - or vessel - will you be today?'  Now, today we're going to look closer at the concept of..."


Kaitlyn couldn't remember the rest of the sermon, for she didn't hear it.  She wasn't listening.  She just couldn't get past his opening illustration.  What kind of cup are you? she thought to herself.  But Kaitlyn was a good girl - what could she need to change?


Slowly, Kaitlyn walked into her room after they returned home from church.  She sat down on her bed and thought about how she spent her time.  No, there was nothing wrong with talking on the phone to friends, or spending time on hobbies.  But what am I doing for God? she thought to herself.  How am I spending time working to be a vessel for honorable use?  She thought about how she had spent her time the day before.  She talked with her friend Rebecca on the phone, then went over and did some reading and talking with her friend Michaela.  But what time did she spend seeking God?  What time did she spend doing things that would bring Him glory?  Just a few minutes for my morning devotional, she remembered, a little guiltily.  Kaitlyn reached over for a piece of paper and wrote on it, then she propped it up on her bedside table.  "There," she said to herself.  "Now I can always ask myself, 'What kind of cup will you be today, Katie?"

Photo by Catherine Hadler at FreeDigitalPhotos.net