2 Timothy 2:21 - I don't want to be Tupperware

2 Timothy 2 - 20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

Leviticus 24:4 - The lamps on the pure gold lampstand must be tended continually in the LORD's presence.

There's something about Tupperware that I find quite disturbing. I'm not too sure if it's the vivid flashbacks to grandma's house - with the moth balls and diabetes and... well, that vague sensation that they were both just hanging around to die.. or whether it was the smell it started to give out after a while... or whether it was people's morbid obsession with getting more of it.

I'm more of a minimalistic kind of guy - give me a stainless steel and chrome appliance any day. Clean, shiny, sleek - and if you're a knife, sharp.

In the Kingdom of God you have everyday vessels - the Tupperware - and you have the good stuff - the stainless steel, the platinum, the fine china (if you're that way inclined) etc. But the funny thing is that you get to choose what you will be. By being pure or otherwise.

But you already knew that, right? Fantastic. But today I learnt something new. Leviticus 24:4 stood out to me as I was doing some research - the lamps on the pure gold lampstand must be tended continually in the LORD's presence...

• "the lamps" represent the Holy Spirit. Also might refer to the giftings we've been given as in 2Ti 1:6 (distributed by the Holy Spirit)
• "pure gold lampstand" is you and me
• "must be tended continually" i.e. they require our constant, daily attention. Activity. Action.
• "in the LORD's presence" - we can't do this on our own. This involves drawing closer to God each day, renewing our relationship with Him, 'being being' filled with the Holy Spirit and being transformed into relationship with him.

I personally think that's a beautiful picture. Hopefully I've been able to put on paper what's in my heart (in an internet sort of way :)).