Pleasure or Disgust?

I like to sit on the back porch and watch the birds in the back yard.  I have two bird feeders, a hummingbird feeder, a suet feeder, and a water fountain for the birds to drink from.  I light three citronella candles on the deck to ward off mosquitoes and watch the birds until it is dark and they have gone to roost.  But as the sky darkens into night and the streetlights come on, other creatures come out.  When I see a roach creep out and run across the deck, a shiver runs down my back.  Hey, the bird and the roach are both part of God’s creation.  But why do I sense pleasure from one and disgust from the other?  Paul spoke about this dilemma to his protégé Timothy in II Timothy 2:29-21, “… And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”  Hey, what kind of a vessel am I?  How does the dear Lord see Gerald Whitely?  Does He get pleasure from me or disgust?  Am I like a sweet, little bird or am I like a roach?  Actually, how God views me is up to me!  Paul said for me to purge myself from iniquity (sin) and I will be like a beautiful gold cup to God: useful and cherished.  Hey, I am always loved by God (that’s God’s character), but I want to be liked by God (that’s up to me).  And what about you?  Do you have hidden sins lurking in your heart that displease the Lord?  Clean them out, draw close to God, and you will sense God’s sweet pleasure.