Being A Working Vessel For Christ
One of the first thing we have to come to realize is that everything we have is a gift from God and it all has a purpose; to build His Kingdom.
We must learn to use all Christ has put in us to serve Him and others.
It is important not to get caught up in things of this world, not to use our gift for vanity.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in it’s various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever.”
One of the first things is to realize, we have done nothing to deserve the gifts we have given to us, they are just that gifts that God has chosen in His wisdom to bestow on us. Steer away from vanity and believing you have earned what you have been given.
Something I love about Elevation Church in the US is their motto ‘See what God can do through you.’
We have become to self-centred, we spend so much time worrying about what God can do for us and not what we can use what He has given us to do for others.
There is a difference between having the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we give our lives to the Christ we receive the Holy Spirit, but we pray to God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and when we are filled we are called to spend of the Spirit.
The Manifestation conference by Ignite was one of the times where I really felt myself spending of the Spirit, where I came to this deep realization that ‘this is not about you’, it’s all about God and about being a vessel for His Kingdom. It is not easy, it is uncomfortable at time, draining and exhausting, but the faith requires sacrifice. Sacrifice increases your capacity to be filled up.
When I think of a vessel, i think of a blood vessel, blood vessels are open on both ends because blood isn’t meant to flow to it, but through it.
With people that have sickle cell, what happens to cause a sickle crisis it that because the blood cells are shaped almost like a banana, the cells can get caught on what another, stopping them from flowing through, causing a blood clot which leads to a crisis.
Like this if you receive but are so caught up on holding on to the gift, be it money, talents or anything else as opposed to using it for good, it can lead to a crisis in your life. Holding onto the things you’ve been blessed with takes your focus from the giver to the gift and that will always damage your relationship with Christ.
When you begin to focus on the gift you make that thing an idol and put it over God.
The Israelite's did the same thing in Exodus 32 when Aaron told them all to gather all the gold they had gathered and they turned away from God.