The apostle Paul described two kinds of “vessels” to explain what Alma called “the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner” (Alma 42:1). Borrowing a metaphor from Jeremiah, Paul wrote:
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.
Romans 9:21-23; see also Jeremiah 18:3-6
On its own, this passage suggests that the “vessels of wrath” were made that way, predestined to fail and to be punished. But Paul knew that God had called him a “chosen vessel after his miraculous conversion (Acts 9:15). He referred to himself and the other apostles as “earthen vessels,” imperfect messengers bearing God’s perfect power (2 Corinthians 4:7). And he urged Timothy to purge himself from sinful practices in order to become a “vessel unto honour” (2 Timothy 2:20-21). We can choose, in other words, what kind of vessels we want to become, with God’s help.
A vessel is a container, generally made to carry liquids. The term is also applied to people who are able to accomplish specific missions because of their attributes. For example:
- Alma described Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “a precious and chosen vessel” (Alma 7:10).
- Mormon taught that angels “[declare] the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him” (Moroni 7:31).
In an 1832 revelation about the glories available to us after this life, the Lord quoted Paul as He described people who would entirely turn away from God and refuse to receive anything from Him:
Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—
They are they who are the sons of perdition…
For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity.
Doctrine and Covenants 76:31-33
As I’ve thought about this phrase today, I’ve wondered: What kind of vessel am I? What do I carry around all day, some of which likely spills over and influences other people? Is it bitterness, frustration, or anger? In other words, am I a vessel of wrath? Or is it kindness, gratitude, and joy? In other words, am I a vessel of mercy?
Today, I will strive to be a vessel of mercy. I will choose to fill my mind with goodness, and I will open my heart to the Spirit of the Lord, which will allow me to carry joy, peace, and goodness wherever I go.
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