2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use… Meet for the Master's use. Christ is our Lord as well as our Saviour. We are under a Master, and must bring our thought in captivity unto him. I. MEETNESS. For in man there is a power that grows by culture. Not so with the inferior animals. Take the bee: the first cell it makes is as geometrically perfect as the last. So take the bird: the first nest it makes is as soft and complete as the last. But man can grow in meetness. Self-discipline meetens. Sorrow meetens. Suffering meetens. II. MINISTRATIONS. Use. This characterizes all the works of God. The river is not only a silver thread running through the landscape; it brings freshness and verdure, and the cattle come to the banks to drink, and there is emerald verdure by the riverside. Ships, too, float on its waters. We are to be of use to the Master. He deigns to use us. "Son, go work today in my vineyard." Many in this age dislike the word "Master;" but we are always under some master, consciously or unconsciously. We serve God or Mammon, and we cannot serve both. We are to attend to spiritual means of grace, and to seek out modes of service, so as to be of use to the Master. - W.M.S. Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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