Vessels for the Master's Use

The first step in beginning to grow spiritually is to understand that we must separate ourselves from all things that are evil, that contradict the way of Jesus Christ and His Truth. The word of God truly tells us, that he who would be clean, must “purge himself from these” and thus “be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work…follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:21,22). If we make the first steps in trying to be clean, then God will give us the strength to go further. We take the first step of faith when we are baptized, but we must know that we are to go much further than that, unto holiness. But we have encouragement - we are to follow the holy things “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart”. Yes, there are many others trying to go the same way as us.

We will not find the way to being a suitable vessel for the Master unless we seek to be this along with others who also call on the Lord. The way we have chosen is not easy. We must take strength from others. Alone, we cannot make this way unto the end. Every member of the body of Christ is also a child of God, they will be showing to us some aspect of the pure life which we ought to be living. If we each have a pure heart, or spirit, then the spirit of God will be amongst us, and we will feel this when we gather together. This will give us strength.

We will experience amongst us the true type of love, the love of God, which is not the same as the thing that passes for love in the world. If we love God, then we will love our Brothers also, as is said in 1 John 5:2. True love will never in any way allow evil to triumph over good, it will not call evil to be good, nor vice versa. We will be encouraged only to greater efforts to be vessels usable by our Master.

Bro. Gennady (Poltava, Ukraine)