HOW TO BE USEFUL TO GOD
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [vessels of dishonor], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. II Timothy 2:19-21
Paul writes these verses to Timothy, and by extension, to all born-again believers. In I Corinthians 3:11 the apostle declares who, not what, is this foundation, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” No church or denomination, in and of itself, can serve as the foundation for our spiritual life no matter how eloquent its litany or how biblical its creed. Christ Himself is our only sure foundation!
In recent weeks we have all read or heard a great deal about whether the city of New Orleans should ever be rebuilt in the same location which is predominantly below sea level. The question stems around whether a levee system can be built that will withstand a direct hit by a category V hurricane. The existing seawall was not able to withstand the glancing blow of Katrina, a category IV hurricane.
Living in Channelview, a suburb of Houston, I know a great deal about flooding problems. Houston is shown on geological charts as being fifty-two feet above sea level. But trust me, whenever we get rains from any tropical disturbance, this city has many serious flooding problems. With New Orleans built below sea level, I can only imagine of the problems that invites. Having said that, I have seen the disaster of the flooding of that city by Katrina.
To build a city below sea level is risky under any circumstance but building one’s spiritual life on anything or anyone except the Lord Jesus Christ is to assure spiritual disaster and eternal ruin. As we think about how we can be useful to God, let us keep in mind that we must start first with the proper foundation. Our life must be built upon the “Rock of Ages”.
RULE # 1. “Depart from iniquity.”
…For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said; “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:16b-18
RULE # 2. “Cleanse” yourself.
Our Lord Jesus cleanses us of sin and unrighteousness. “…and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I John 1:7. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
But we are charged with cleansing our daily walk and bad habits. God will not do for us what He has commanded us to do for ourselves. “…beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor. 7:1
The psalmist wrote, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Thy word.” Psalm 119:9
Over the sixty years of being called “pastor”, fifty-three of which in my current pastorate, I have had many church members to tell me that they have asked God to take some bad habit out of their life and that God has not answered their prayer. My answer has been that since God did not give us the habit, why should we expect Him to take the habit away? I stress that God does not want to make spiritual invalids out of us; therefore He has commanded us to “cleanse ourselves of the filthiness of the flesh.”
I must hurry and add that there may indeed be times when God will remove a displeasing habit from one of His children, but only when that person has made a sincere and earnest effort to give it up on their own.
I always refer to Hebrews 4:14-16. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Ephesians 5:18 commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Remember that God will fill any size vessel with His Spirit, even a misshapen vessel…but never a dirty vessel.
RULE # 3. “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace…” v. 22b.
An empty life will not stay empty for long. After you have cleansed your life of those things which are displeasing to the Lord, you must replace them with godly habits or the old worldly habits will return. Example of the evil spirit who returned to his previous victim and found it “empty’ and then invited seven others more evil than him.
We read of this account in Matthew 12:43-45. "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 "Then it says, ’I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."
RULE # 4. “…with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” V 2c.
The place where this company can be found is in the local church. A Christian cannot be either pleasing to God or of maximum usefulness to Him unless he is in an active local church relationship. The Bible is clear about this. In Acts 2:46-47 we read, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. “
I assure you that I understand that in the expanded sense this passage refers to the Church that our Lord Jesus is building, but in this particular instance it had reference to the local church there in Jerusalem. Not only are we to be a part of a local New Testament church but we are to be regular in attending its services and in fellowshipping with make up that part of the body of Christ. We read of this in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
CONCLUSION
The "Christian Inspirations" website (11/26/05) posted this little poem that sums up what we need to do to be useful to Him. It is entitled: “When Jesus Looks.”
When Jesus looks upon my life,
What picture does He see,
Does He see His own reflection,
Or does He just see me?
Does He see His likeness,
The product of His hand,
Or just another Christian,
Who never took a stand?
Does He see a child of God,
A child that He set free,
Living life to honor Him,
Or does He just see me?
