Preparing the Vessel

Well, Happy New Year, Everyone! Personally, for the first time that I can ever remember – I didn’t stay awake long enough to see it come in. Y’all – this girl is TIRED! And yet, Rosie and I are up to welcome the first sun rays of the new year. As I was fixing my coffee, I thought about how often I run hot water over my mug or fill it with water and zap in in the microwave for a few seconds because it makes such a difference as to how long your coffee stays warm. It’s amazing the difference those few seconds spent preparing the vessel makes! Of course, anyone who has ever baked a cake can attest to the need to spray and flour the pan before putting the cake batter in. If you want the desired results, you have to prepare the vessel.

This got me to thinking about what kind of “vessel” am I? What kind of vessel do I want to be? If I want to be a great Bible student, how often am I studying His word? If I want to be known for “good works,” how many hours do I spend reaching out to those who are sad or lonely and “doing good?” Relationships require both giving and taking – they take both talking and listening. What about my relationship with God – Am I guilty of doing all of the talking in prayer, but not listening to what He has to say by reading His Word? Am I striving “in word or deed, to do all in the name of the Lord?” (Colossians 3:17)

As we begin this new year, may we prepare our “vessel” for the years to come, for we are all “simply blessed.” Courtney