Meet for the Master's Use

II Timothy 2:20-21“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

It is always a privilege and honour for a man to be used of God; to be a vessel in God’s hand. I’ve always maintained that God can do without any man but truth is, HE “cannot” do without a man in His dealings with humanity. He will always need a man to work with and through him to carry out specific activities on earth. This is true both in Bible days and in our contemporary times. “And I sought for a man amongst them…” (Ezekiel 22:30) and “…whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). Men (and women) like Abraham, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Virgin Mary to mention but a few have, at various times in human history, been channels and instruments for implementing divine agenda on earth.

Being used of God, although an act of grace, requires some measure of qualifications or qualities if you like. These are the qualities that set a David apart from a Saul. Hope you know that God is not so much interested in your worth than He is in your relevance to his cause. Some of the most indispensible possessions you own are often neither made from the most expensive of materials nor are they the most costly of possessions you have in terms of monetary estimate. Their value to you is measured in terms of their relevance and not necessarily by how much you bought or the material they are made of. So when next you boast of the size of your account or net worth, stop and ask yourself of what impact and relevance is your wealth in advancing God’s kingdom on earth. Remember the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21 who was rich in the world’s estimation but was actually poor towards God.

God is not looking for the best. He is looking for the willing and available. When He finds them, He equips them so they can give Him their best. Make no mistake, all of us, as many as are born again, are children of God but all of us don’t carry the same level of responsibilities in the kingdom. Every wise father knows what level of responsibility to commit to his children. He knows which of them to send to represent him in certain meetings or functions based on his estimation of their capacities or level of maturity. To be used of God is a not a function of age. Age may only come to play if it is synonymous with maturity.

To be used of God speaks of responsibility. God is careful what level of responsibility He commits to you and until He proves you, there will be a limit to how much or far He will use you.

Like I mentioned earlier, being used of God is an act of His grace and it is His prerogative to choose whom He wills. But truth is, He looks for certain qualities, which when He finds in a man (or woman), make the man or woman His choice. 

Of the two qualities I have discovered as rudiments, I will discuss one in this post while the second one will be discussed in Part 2

A) You must possess the right heart. 1 Samuel 16:7b “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”

The above was what transpired at the house of Jesse when Samuel went to shop for a replacement for King Saul. On God’s instruction, he was asked to go and anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the next king of Israel and when he arrived, he had all the sons of Jesse sanctified and prepared for it. Surprisingly, none of these sanctified and prepared sons of Jesse cut the mark as they were all rejected by God because they lack the right heart for the job. Rather, it was David who wasn’t part of the preparation process of verse 5 that was preferred above them all. The others were well prepared, but were disqualified because of the matter of the heart. Think about that!

From my study, these are some vital facts about the right heart.
The right heart is the heart of a disciple. Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple”(Read Luke 14: 25-33 for better understanding). When you possess the right heart, no price will be too much for you to pay. The heart of a disciple is a heart that is willing to give up whatever it is in pursuit of his master’s will. The Bible didn’t tell  us why Elisha was preferred above the 100 prophets (or sons of the prophets) whom Obadiah hid in the cave when Jezebel held sway to step into Elijah’s shoes. What on earth would make a 100 prophets accept to be hidden in a cave by a “mere” king’s servant, Obadiah? Why was Elisha who wasn’t one of the sons of the prophet at the time chosen as Elijah’s replacement ahead of these prophets including Elijah’s own servant at the time. I think the answer could be found in 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-12. In 1 Kings 19:19-21, he burnt the bridge and forsook all to go after Elijah and in 2 Kings, he paid a price others weren’t willing to. Simply put, Elisha possessed the heart of a disciple which evidently was lacking in others. The heart of a disciple is a heart of sacrifice.

The right heart is a heart that is perfect towards God. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…” (2 Chron. 16:9).
It is a heart that is passionate and hungry for God. “As the deer pants after the water brooks, so pants my heart after thee, O God” (Psalms 42:1).
It is an uncompromising heart, a heart that hates sin. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, not with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8).
It is a broken and a contrite heart. “…a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise” (Psalms 57:17) And in Isaiah 57: 15, God says “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”.

What can I more say, for time and space will fail me? The right heart is a heart that fears God and trembles at His word evident by its willingness to depart from evil. It’s a heart that loves God with reckless abandon, willing to obey Him at any cost. It’s a heart that worships God with reverence and godly fear. A heart full of faith! Simply put, the right heart is that heart that will pay any price (in real terms and not lip service) to conform to the image of Christ. God bless you.

Watch out for Part2