1 Cor 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1 Timothy 2:20 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 dishonour.
Those who consider themselves a worker for the Lord need not worry about whether their work is public or private. What matters is, if you find out where the Lord wants you, keep serving him there. Make sure your motives for working for him are pure, and that you truly are working for God and not for your own goals or hidden motives. Otherwise, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, no matter how hard you have been laboring thinking you’re serving Jesus, God will know the purity of your heart and reward you accordingly.
Paul says some workmen are like ‘silver and gold’ vessels, and some are like ‘earthen’ vessels. Now, let me explain. In the kitchen of a fancy house, there are wooden bowls and wooden cups that are used to do all the work. The ‘everyday’ crockery is used to make the mashed potatoes or cut the meat. They're not really fancy, but they get the job done.
But once those mashed taters are made in that wooden bowl and everything looks good, they're put into a silver bowl to be served to the master of the house. You see that silver bowl is just for serving. But it didn't do any of the ‘behind the scenes’ preparation. It's still doing work, what it's designed to do.
So too, you might be called to do the preparation, the behind-the-scenes work (the earthen vessels); or, you may be gifted for the presentation part of the work (the gold and silver vessels). Some of us have gifts in which everybody gets to see how we use them. Others have gifts that are done behind the scenes which nobody gets to see. But you know what? They are all important in God's house! He wants to use all of us, regardless of what our gift is, regardless of whether we’re a silver, gold, wooden, or earthen vessel.
No one in God’s church is better or worse than another, we are all valuable to him whether he gives us a lot or a little to do. The point is to be prepared to do the work. Our devotions this week will help us in this preparation.
This devotional has been adapted from the message, Prepared for the Work, preached by Pastor Dr. Doug Mann from 2 Timothy 2:20-26.
Click here for the complete message.
Click here if we can pray for you.
1 Timothy 2:20 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 dishonour.
Those who consider themselves a worker for the Lord need not worry about whether their work is public or private. What matters is, if you find out where the Lord wants you, keep serving him there. Make sure your motives for working for him are pure, and that you truly are working for God and not for your own goals or hidden motives. Otherwise, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, no matter how hard you have been laboring thinking you’re serving Jesus, God will know the purity of your heart and reward you accordingly.
Paul says some workmen are like ‘silver and gold’ vessels, and some are like ‘earthen’ vessels. Now, let me explain. In the kitchen of a fancy house, there are wooden bowls and wooden cups that are used to do all the work. The ‘everyday’ crockery is used to make the mashed potatoes or cut the meat. They're not really fancy, but they get the job done.
But once those mashed taters are made in that wooden bowl and everything looks good, they're put into a silver bowl to be served to the master of the house. You see that silver bowl is just for serving. But it didn't do any of the ‘behind the scenes’ preparation. It's still doing work, what it's designed to do.
So too, you might be called to do the preparation, the behind-the-scenes work (the earthen vessels); or, you may be gifted for the presentation part of the work (the gold and silver vessels). Some of us have gifts in which everybody gets to see how we use them. Others have gifts that are done behind the scenes which nobody gets to see. But you know what? They are all important in God's house! He wants to use all of us, regardless of what our gift is, regardless of whether we’re a silver, gold, wooden, or earthen vessel.
No one in God’s church is better or worse than another, we are all valuable to him whether he gives us a lot or a little to do. The point is to be prepared to do the work. Our devotions this week will help us in this preparation.
This devotional has been adapted from the message, Prepared for the Work, preached by Pastor Dr. Doug Mann from 2 Timothy 2:20-26.
Click here for the complete message.
Click here if we can pray for you.