Honorable and Dishonorable Service to the Lord (Mon, Dec. 14)
The word of the day is “honorable.” In today’s reading of 2 Timothy, 2:20-27, St. Paul teaches the way to become a more useful servant of the Kingdom. The Apostle contrasts church members who are effective as “vessels of honor” and those who are “instruments of dishonor” (vs. 20). The term household “vessels” that Paul refers to all sorts of utensils, not necessarily containers (Strong’s #4632, 232). Therefore, the comparison is not to the contents of what is contained. The contrast is to the composition of the implements. What they are made of determines the nature of their use. One does not use a silver punch bowl as a washbasin, nor a wooden spoon to serve as a serving ladle.…