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Gold, Silver....


          In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.  Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. (II Timothy 2:20-21)

          And the whining begins… "There are people who are gold and silver, but also people who are wood and clay. They have no choice in the matter. God’s playing favorites. I want to be a gold goblet. It's not fair!" 
          Rather than grousing because we haven’t been cast into the role of the Handicapper General (a la Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut) I think we should strive to be the best common use dishes we can be, because for all the ego-boost of being a special purposes dish, we face the same problem as the folks in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We’re looking for Holy Grails, and it turns out that if we choose the humble carpenter’s cup, not the glittering goblet, that we have chosen well.
          Once upon a time, I wanted to be a glittering goblet that everyone admired, but which never got used. Now, I’d rather be a sturdy mug that can stand up to the heat of the microwave and the occasional fall to the floor and gets used daily.
           It’s natural and good to desire to become an article of old or silver, but the passage talks more about the use than it does the substance. What is the difference between the gold and silver dishes and the wood and clay? The gold and silver have cleansed themselves, been made holy, are useful to the Master and are prepared to do any good work. In other words, the gold and silver dishes become gold and silver by being more concerned about pleasing God and working than they are about what they’re made of.

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