...if a person will but cleanse himself of evil things he may be a distinguished vessel,
dedicated and useful to the master of the house and ready for every noble service.
2 Timothy 2:21
This verse once meant that I was to walk away, turn my back on that which would not please our Lord. If He is omnipresent, with us always... then what I read, what I watched, what I listened to... might not bring a smile to His face. He might not think that joke was funny. He might get up and walk away from that show. He would be offended with how that actor used His name and then He would look at me with disappointment.... Definitely not my idea of a "blessed moment!"
With today's reading, this verse has taken on a joyful image. In Spoken For, Robin shared about a "teachable" moment with a young visitor. This nine-year-old was so down-in-the-mouth. Her parents would not let her go see a movie with her friends because they did not approve of its content. She felt that her parents were being "way too over protective." Does this sound familiar? I recognize this scene. Robin was making chocolate covered cherries as she pondered how to respond to this young heart. With inspiration from the Bible, she asked if her visitor wanted one of the cherries and of course she did... although she commented that she thought Robin was making them for someone special. "How do you explain to a nine-year-old the blessing that comes from living according to God's standards and not going along with the rest of the world?" Robin's discussion was priceless, her goal was to demonstrate the unique and priceless value that our Lord sees in each of us. Robin remembered a dirty paper plate from the BBQ the night before. She pulled it out of the garbage and picked up one of those yummy chocolate cherries... she proceeded to that disgusting, stained paper plate... when her young visitor stopped her. "You aren't going to use that dirty plate, are you?" Robin quickly responded, "I have other plates. They're special plates. Clean plates. Plates that I have kept set apart from all the others... You might think I'm way too overprotective of these plates. I'm protective because these fine china plates are very valuable... I want to keep them clean and set apart... kept from harm and always be ready for me to use to serve others."
Once this unique "teachable" moment had finished, Robin proceeded to write this young ladies name on the back of the plate with the inscription... "You are a fine china plate: 2 Timothy 2:21." This young lady took her priceless china plate, her blessed memory of a uniquely inspired biblical truth, and her priceless image of herself home. Once home she hung it up on her bedroom wall as a reminder of that moment in time... her friend Robin's ability to inspire and love her... as a mirror reflecting God's word about how He sees her.
I have a few china plates on my walls, ones given to me by my great-great grandmother... thanks to Robin's inspiration I now have a Biblical truth to write upon them for my grand-daughters.
So turn from youthful passions and pursue
integrity, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord in purity of heart.
Have nothing to do with senseless, ignorant disputations.
2 Timothy 2: 22-23
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