From Vessel to Vessel

Recently the Lord showed me a couple things that He is doing in the Church today.  One of the things He is dealing with is the sin of complacency. Webster defines it as- "contentment, satisfaction, esp. self-satisfaction". Now there is nothing wrong with feeling contented or satisfied with the Lord. We should feel this way. But when we become self-satisfied to the point we don't go any further- that is what the Lord hates.

In Jeremiah 48:11, 12- The Lord spoke out against the country of Moab- saying-"Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, That I shall send him wine- workers who will tip him over and empty his vessels and break the bottles."

 The dregs or lees menitoned here has to do with wine making. The lees were deposits of dead yeast or other particles carried to the bottom of the wine vat after fermentation and aging. The lees settle to the bottom and sometimes the wine is left in contact with it in an attempt to create more flavor- but if the wine is left on the less too long it acquires a foul odor! It can ruin the wine.  A process called racking is performed usually after 40 days to siphon the wine off the lees.

In Bible times- it was emptied from vessel to vessel. If the wine was allowed to stay on it lees for too long, it became bitter and harsh. It would also acquire a bad odor. The pouring from vessel to vessel was up to the wine-maker’s discretion. It involved a period of settling and then a period of pouring from vessel to vessel. Many of us like those times of settling but aren’t real big on the times of being poured from one vessel to another. But it is imperative that change comes! We MUST allow that change to come in our lives. It brings us to another level in God!

Emptying from vessel to vessel caused the wine to be taken off the lees, therefore purifying it. A  Christian who just stays where he began, becomes like wine settled on its lees. He becomes complacent, self-satisfied, indifferent and stagnant in their Christian walk and actually have a "bad odor". No one would want to drink stagnant water! They have not allowed God to enhance that initial salvation experience to the point of a relationship.  This relationship with Christ is what brings freshness and life to our experience! You can tell that Christian who has a vital, living relationship with Jesus Christ- you can smell the sweet aroma before they enter the room! You can see the essence of Christ coming forth from their countenance. He is their PASSION!!! Our PASSION is what engulfs us, it takes over us, it is what we talk about the most, and it is involved in every aspect of our lives!

We need to get out of our rut, our COMFORT ZONE.  Instead of digging down into the RICHES of the Lord, some have just dug in to their mode, their little rut! Settled on their lees! Sometimes the worse place to be in is during a time where nothing is happening or so we think. We have several options at this point—we can just “float” along--- “They say in their heart the Lord will not do good nor will He do evil” (Zephaniah 1:12). It seems like nothing is happening so you just settle down, not get too involved- nothing much happening- no responsibility, no commitment, you are just going to settle down. This will eventually lead to backsliding. More now that ever- there are no floaters in God-and normally the only fish that float are the dead fish!

Or we can decide to swim upstream- we can allow God to empty us from vessel to vessel.You may not think anything is happening in God, but He truly is working, even when we can't see Him. But we must allow God to empty us from vessel to vessel. We cannot settle down on the old stuff- the bitter stuff- that has to be taken out of us! When we are emptied from vessel to vessel- the drought goes! That old stuff goes! And God brings us into another level with Him.

We have got to get out of our rut, stop the complacency in our lives. We must decide to have a fresh, up to date experience with the Lord- EVERY day! If a person is in the state of complacency, if he remains in a rut- that person will eventually backslide. There is no drifting, no floating, no coasting in the Lord. We must strive to mainitain that intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, study of the Word and worship- every day. There are many verses on seeking God, but one of my favorites is Hebrews11:6: "...He is a rewarder of those who dilengtly seek Him." If you truly seek after Him, He is faithful to reward you with His presence, His life, His guidance and all that you need to live a godly life.