1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

“…you were redeemed from the empty way of life…and so your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:18-21

Jesus said He came to bring our lives “to full” because He knew we’d be empty and that emptiness can fluctuate often. Negatives and positives fill our lives. The world has a constant emptying effect while God has a replenishing affect. The result is we are both empty and full like the glass, however, the point is that we have the capacity to be filled up. You are a vessel that can be filled to the full. I read recently that “the world looks at what we can accumulate, but Jesus looks at what we give up.” Remarkably, it is possible to be physically empty yet spiritually full. All of us can recall a time when we’ve been just the opposite though… physically full but spiritually empty.

“Life to the full” beats life on empty any day. I’m not sure a way to explain how reading the Words of Life make me feel so full except to describe (a physical filling) my favorite soups, salads, and hot cocoa! I always stuff myself when it comes to these three things and it’s like I need nothing else. All the ingredients mixing together in that soup is perfect satisfaction, guaranteed. When this is on the menu of my mind, there is no need to try anything more. There is no reason to look for anything else. This is what’s for dinner. Done. There is no God like Jehovah- no reason to look beyond His Son for our salvation- no other way to be relieved of our sin. He’s our God and He can satisfy. Done.

Without the fullness of all life’s best principles being from Him, you’ll live with the ache you long to get rid of! There is a place only in Him where we can breathe freely knowing we don’t have to be full of guilt, worry, regret, destruction, agony, torment, fear, etc. So no more self harm to the teenager and no more perfectionistic misery for the single momma, not another unpleasant nightmare for the child confined to a wheelchair. This is where fear fails for the man who’s growing older and for the couple who’s down to nothing. When you’ve done what you can do. When you have trusted in Him, empty becomes full. It’s too simple an explanation for some. Maybe some are making it way too hard. Maybe your agenda is to be full of something you would like to give out. You do not have to step into the fullness of Christ but you can!

Some people feel full when the bank account, fridge, business, church, etc. is full and then when those things are empty, they are also. These things aren’t suppose to be our primary filling station or our energy source. Since we cannot give out of our emptiness, the only place we can give out of is our fullness. A small gift, meal, note, word of encouragement for another are simple ways to connect somebody to fullness. Being full doesn’t always mean having a big smile all the time and never making mistakes. It means having a heart that’s satisfied to overflowing and you’ll know when it is. Imagine the relief of a satisfied heart!!!

Scripture commands us to be filled with the spirit and constantly guided by Him (Ephesians 5:18) and to get rid of or empty ourselves of fleshy ways that bring ruin. This isn’t something we accomplish by ourselves. I have never been able to accomplish anything good by myself. Emptiness of the soul can’t be filled with any amount of our favorite things. But when there is a flow coming from Him, then our favorite things gladly are put through the colander of our Maker’s hands. The soul need can only be filled with our God. That’s how it was meant to work. And we try and try to force it to work with every other thing. Remember that experiencing fullness is actually easier than it seems. People just can’t or don’t want to grasp the simplicity of it. They think it should be harder and bypass reading a verse of hope or sitting quietly to say a few prayers. When we believe, we’ll be right there along with the ones who search and find, who bless enemies, who relinquish desires to see His to fruition, who give when they need to receive. It is during this process that the cup becomes truly full; the life satisfied.

Happy First Day of Spring- Courtney