Of Tongs & Pasta Spoons

"All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated & useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work."

(2 Timothy 2:21)

 

I enjoy cooking.  I'm no gourmet... nor could you classify me as a "foodie" (and if you don't know what that is, then you're not one either!).  But it's enough to get by.  In the kitchen, then, I have a number of favorite "cooking implements."  There are specific pots & pans I'll select over others to use... as well as utensils I prefer.  For example, I love our pasta spoon - nice solid plastic handle, cool plastic black ladle with "pukas" (holes) - very effective!  Certain tongs are better than others in my kitchen.  And I'll select the plastic over the wooden spoons... just a few of my preferences.

Paul uses cooking utensil imagery in his 2nd letter to Timothy.  He gives Timothy a list of activities to avoid (v.14-19), including wrangling over words & profane chatter.  If you do this, says Paul, you'll be like a special utensil (as opposed to an ordinary, every-day utensil) to be used by God for good works.  In Jewish households, they had some utensils that were set apart as special/sacred.  Paul is encouraging the believers to be that for God.  Just think, taming our tongues can make us more available to be used by God for good works!  Just like I always pick that one plastic pasta spoon.  It gets used while so many others just sit in my utensil carrier.  I want to be used by God, too.