Dirty Dishes

Dinner was ready, and everyone was called to the table. After Dad prayed, Gianna was the first to notice that something was wrong. "These dishes are dirty!" she exclaimed. "Why are they on the table?" Mom gasped as she looked at her plate. "My fault. I told Grandma to use the plates from the dishwasher. I must have forgotten to turn it on last night." "Oh dear!" exclaimed Grandma, who was nearly blind. "They must have been rinsed off and I couldn't see well enough to know they were still dirty. I'm so sorry!" After a good laugh, Gianna and her sister Cosima jumped up to remove the dirty dishes and replace them with clean ones. After reading the passage for family devotions that evening, Dad closed his Bible thoughtfully. "The verses we just read say that we are vessels to be used by God. We all saw how unpleasant it would be to eat out of dirty vessels at dinner tonight, didn't we? We want clean dishes for our food." "That's for sure!" said Cosima. "When God says we need to be clean vessels, do you suppose He means we should take a bath?" asked Dad. "Well, I've heard a saying about how cleanliness is next to godliness," said Gianna. "Is that in the Bible?" asked Cosima. Dad chuckled. "No, it's not. We should keep our bodies clean, of course, but I don't think that's what these verses mean." "I don't think so either," said Mom. "God says we need to have hearts made clean and pure by Jesus and live in a way that shows others His love. I think that's what He's referring to here." Dad nodded. "The apostle Paul told Timothy to flee from evil desires and pursue virtues like faith, love, and peace alongside other believers. We need to do the same thing. As Christians, we need to remind one another to turn from sin and focus on Jesus, who has forgiven our wrongs and washed us clean. As we trust Him to fill us with His peace and love, we become vessels He can use to show others who He is." "We needed clean dishes for dinner tonight," said Grandma. "And the world needs clean vessels to show people the love of Jesus." –Mary Rose Pearson