2 Timothy 2:20-21 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
My husband has been in the process of overhauling our family room. He replaced the ceiling and installed recessed lights. Instead of the old shag carpet, we’re enjoying a beautiful hardwood floor. I’ve endlessly oohed and aahed my admiration over the transformation. But the impact of one detail in the renovation surprised me.
Over a decade ago we became owners of a high-strung Dalmatian puppy. Did I say high-strung? This cute little canine demolished pages in my husband’s day timer. He devoured a credit card, and one time swallowed a twenty-dollar bill. Those include just a few of his antics. He also scratched a portion of the varnish off the wood door leading from the family room to the back porch. We no longer have the dog, but over the years the scratches on the damaged door remained a permanent fixture.
Still in the overhaul mode, my husband picked up a small can of varnish and applied it to all the scratch marks on the door. The whole process took about ten minutes. Ten minutes of work turned a 20-year-old eyesore back to its original beauty! Why did it take us this long?
We just got used to it.
It made me wonder what else we get used to in our personal lives. Are we tolerating other kinds of eyesores? Characteristics that disqualify us from living more honorably?
Paul writes that as we “cleanse” ourselves from the “dishonorable,” God uses us for higher, more noble purposes. When we come to Christ, he sets us free from our old sinful nature and we find complete forgiveness. Although our salvation doesn’t depend on whether we become vessels of gold or clay, God gives us a tremendous opportunity to become something more than we ever imagined.
So maybe it’s a good time to ask the Holy Spirit if we’ve settled for some nicks and scratches that mar our spiritual life. Let’s not get used to anything that hinders us from honorable use.