A Life That Counts
2 Timothy 2:20-21 reads, “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” (NIV, 1984).
I enjoy reading Christian biography—biographies of men and women who made a difference for God in this world. Biographies of people like Amy Carmichael who served God for 56 years in India without a furlough. People like Hudson Taylor who, in spite of his physical weakness, was used by God to take the gospel to millions of people in China. Or people like William Wilberforce, who at the end of the 18th century, struggled for more than 20 years to bring an end to the slave trade in England. Reading the stories of such men and women creates a longing within me to be useful to God like they were. Which raises a question—what kind of people does God use? What must we do—who must we be—if we want to make an eternal difference in the lives of those around us?
2 Timothy 2:19-22 answers that question. In order to be useful to God, we must pursue holiness. While living in the world, we must not be of the world (John 17:14-19). In verse 19, Paul writes, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” In verse 22, Paul reminds Timothy that being useful to God will require him to “…flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” In verses 20-21 Paul contrasts those who, through their pursuit of holiness, make themselves useful to God with those who, by their spiritual apathy and sin, render themselves unproductive in his saving work. Those who willfully refuse to “depart from iniquity” are compared to a household vessel useful only as a toilet. In contrast, the believer who cleanses himself of sin is like a household vessel made of gold or silver useful to the Master for honorable purposes!
So, what about you and me? Do we hunger to live lives that count for God? Does it show by the way we live our lives? In this life we will never be perfect. Still, do we pursue holiness? In the power of God’s Spirit, do we strive to cleanse ourselves of all that is sinful and dishonorable? Do we make ourselves useful and available to God by the things we value, the way we think, and the choices we make? How can we be useful to God in the world if we are not distinct from the world?
One thing is certain. We will never be vessels “useful to the Master of the house, ready for every good work” without each other. Verse 22 is clear! When we pursue the “righteousness, faith, love, and peace” that makes us useful to God, we must do so “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” God cannot and will not make us clean vessels useful to him in isolation from each other. We must invest ourselves in the fellowship of His church! By God’s design we will never grow up in Christ if we do not grow up together (Ephesians 4:15-16).
Every human heart cries out for significance. Every one of us wants to live a life that counts! No life counts more than a life lived for God. Let us strive together to be vessels useful to our Master for every good work. Let us strive together to live lives that count for God.