2 Kings 4:3-6 English Standard Version (ESV)

³ Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

As long as there were empty vessels the Lord kept pouring.

Are we empty vessels or full of ourselves?

The meditations of my heart have been about yesterday’s final words. “If we do not care about others, well then we do have a problem.” My reflections were about those who I have failed to love. In the flesh it is impossible for us to love some as God loves them. How can we get out of God’s way and allow Him to pour out His mercy and grace upon others?

The answer was simple and yet profound. “Find empty vessels.”

His disciples were instructed to go to homes where they were welcomed. They were told to knock the dust off their sandals when a house turned them away. They were not to feel guilty for not changing the vessels that were full of themselves, only to find empty vessels.

We often see our failures as obstacles to God’s mercy and grace. Shake it off and move on. Pray for the vessels that are full of themselves, that God would do what God does best. It is not our job to change the attitudes of the self-indulgent.  It is our responsibility to show them what it looks like to be what God has created us to be, vessels of mercy and grace looking for empty vessels.

Exodus 4:25 English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”

We sometimes are given unpleasant task which we begrudgingly perform because circumstances lead us to believe we have no choice. It is interesting to me how Zipporah blames Moses rather than God.

This comes down to a matter of marital attitude for Zipporah. She is in fear of losing her husband because Moses had not obeyed God in the issue of circumcision of the son. It was not the custom of the Medians and Zipporah took it upon herself to submit to something she didn’t believe.

Do we see Christ as a bridegroom of blood to us? If it were not for His blood sacrifice we would not be His betrothed. Blood is very much a part of our relationship. Will we take an attitude that if we do not obey, we will lose our relationship with our Lord?

I remember a time when I yelled at the Lord; “Fine have it your way.” It was a begrudgingly submission of attitude which was solely my fault. Bad attitudes are our failings, not His. The humanity in us does not like to give up desires that we have lived with for a long time. Surrendering to His will isn’t always pleasing to the soul.

Once we give in we should immediately surrender the attitude also. We lost the argument, stop arguing. Don’t whimper and whine and carry those attitudes into our relationship with others. It is a poor representation to the lost and those new in the Lord. Our attitudes can influence others. If we care for others let us not be a bad influence.

If we do not care about others, well then we do have a problem.