Articles From Our Bulletins
"Useful to the Master"
“Useful,” by common usage, basically means being of benefit, or serving a beneficial purpose.
When I was just a kid- probably still in elementary school, Dad bought an old 14 ft. aluminum “runabout-style” boat. It came with an equally ancient 45 H.P. Mercury outboard motor. Since my two eldest siblings were already out of the house, my next oldest sister and I learned to waterski with Dad dutifully and patiently towing us around a couple of area lakes. Eventually, she and her friend Tricia were allowed to take the boat skiing by themselves. Now two high-school girls wouldn’t normally want or allow a little brother to tag along on such ventures, but I got to go for a couple of simple reasons…
Though my sister could sort of operate a tractor and a bush-hog enough to mow pastures (she was actually more concerned with her tan), she couldn’t back a trailer, at least back then. Although I couldn’t reach to fully depress the clutch pedal (pick-up trucks still had them in those days), if I turned sideways in the seat, I could sufficiently reach the brake pedal. So, she would drive down the boat ramp and make a U-turn to get the truck and boat trailer headed back up the ramp, and then depress the emergency brake to hold it there. Then, I would get behind the wheel and back the trailer into the water using just gravity and the brake, until the boat floated off, and then reapply the emergency brake. Crazy, huh? But it worked! She and Tricia got to go water-skiing, and I got to tag along… albeit only because I was USEFUL! Oh yeah, I said “reasons” (plural), didn’t I? I could also usually get the ol’ Mercury to start and run when it was being cantankerous- again, “useful”! But of course, there are spiritual points to be made from these things…
Consider 2Timothy 2:20, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.” So far, so good. It sounds like this might be at least leaning toward “useful.” Now note the next verse, “Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these…” (a reference to sins previously mentioned and “abstaining from wickedness” in v.19), then “he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” Just like my earlier “training” and “practice” on the farm made me “useful” to my sister (at least on specific occasions!), our sanctification, cleansing, and preparation enables us to be “useful” to Christ! So, what are we without these things? What if we haven’t truly set ourselves apart for special/spiritual service (sanctified)? What if we haven’t prepared and equipped ourselves in and with the word of God (cf. 2Timothy 3:16-17)? Or, what if we haven’t “cleansed” ourselves from sin by the blood of Christ, repentance, and laying off the old man of sin and putting on the new man of the Spirit? The answers are obvious.
But let’s take one more final step with this “useful” thinking. In John 15:1-8 Jesus says to His disciples: (1) He is the true vine, v.1; (2) apart from Him, no fruit can be born unless one abides in Him, v.4; (3) those that bear fruit, He prunes that they may bear more fruit, v.2b; but, and most importantly to our point here, (4) those that do not bear fruit, He takes away, v.2a, and eventually, they dry up and are gathered up and cast into the fire, v.6. Think about that. Are you “useful” to the Master? Are you bearing fruit for Him?
There are indeed many ways to be “useful” to the Master (please read/review Romans 12). But just soaking up nutrients and taking up space without bearing any fruit aren’t among them. If you aren’t being “useful,” perhaps you haven’t really sanctified yourself to His purposes rather than your own. Or, may be you haven’t really prepared yourself in and with the primary tool, the word of God. Then too, the problem could be that you haven’t cleansed yourself from sin sufficiently to enable you to be a “vessel for honor” that is really “useful to the Master.” Whatever the problem or the cause, “usefulness” is not only expected of us, it is required. Don’t just think about it, do something about it, and make yourself “useful,” please.
- Useful_to_the_Master.pdf (83.68 kB)
