He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens,
that He might fill all things.
Ephesians 4:10
Empty. I had looked forward to it all day.
My favorite treat—organic dark-chocolate peanut butter cups. Rich and creamy, I love the way they melt on my tongue. Salty and chocolate in one delectable bite (I am sure God made organic dark-chocolate peanut butter cups on the last day of creation because they are VERY GOOD). Peanut butter cups are why I jog. They’re why I eat dinner.
All afternoon at school, I had anticipated my after dinner treat with gusto. A few minutes for myself with delicious treat and a good book is like a mini retreat. Bliss. I reached my hand into the bag and … what? EMPTY. Who did it? Who ate the last treat and left an empty bag? Son #1? Son #2? Husband? I didn’t even want to know.
Empty is not good.
Empty is so empty. Empty calories, empty nest, running on empty, empty promises, empty-handed. No one likes empty. Neither does God. God fills things. Look at the following verses:
- “Open wide your mouth and I shall fill it.” Psalm 81:10
- “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:24
- “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
- “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34
- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
- “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:4.
My life before Jesus was #empty.
I was filled with a consuming emptiness I thought would destroy me. But God used the emptiness to drive me to Him so He could fill my soul with His Spirit and my life with purpose, and meaning. No more emptiness. Only full.
In the original language, fill means “to cause to abound, to fill to the full, to make complete, to be liberally supplied, of hollow vessels filled, of the soul thoroughly permeated.” When we are saved, we are filled to the full with the blessings and presence of the Holy Spirit. We are made complete and are liberally supplied with everything we need pertaining to life and godliness. Because we are filled, we have enough to share. Give, and you will receive … “Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” NLT Luke 6:38
This brings great comfort to people like me.
Before Jesus, I had nothing to give, nothing to offer; my heart and soul were empty and hollow. How wonderful to know that because of the filling of the Holy Spirit, I now have purpose and resources to bring God glory and help others find, follow and be filled by Jesus.
From empty to filled.
Action Points:
- What’s missing from your life? How is your life incomplete? What do you need God to fill?
- What is taking up too much room in your life? What do you need to downsize so you can download more Jesus?
- Who can you help fill today? Whose heart needs to be filled? Whose stomach needs to be filled? Whose mind needs to be filled with the Good News?
Life is sweet. Fill it with Jesus.
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Copyright 2016
I feel as though I am filling myself with Jesus everyday. I pray that I can somehow convey the message of Jesus to my daughters and my Mother,so that they too can feel the joy of God’s hand in our lives. My husband and I discuss God and pray together. How can I get my family to live more abundantly in Jesus,?
Are your other family members Christians? If they aren’t, your best witness is your own life, how you deal with adversity and trials … especially not complaining or returning insults for insults. And as always, keep praying!