Spillers and Splasher

 

   Eph 3:19

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

NIV

Recently,  we were dining in a local restaurant, and for some reason, the service was quite poor.  I often drink quite a bit of my beverage with my meal.   Sometimes, I need 3-4 refills.  (Yes, I know!)  On this particular visit I ran out of my beverage early on, possibly during the appetizer.  I was half-way through my meal before I ever got a refill. You can imagine my disgust when they brought me out a glass about 3/4 of the way full.  When you are dying of thirst (melodrama mine) you want more than a partial refill.  You want to be filled to the top- and possibly more than once!

That is certainly true of beverages.  If you are paying for it, you want your money's worth, right?!  But what about when we talk about being full of God...  "filled to the measure of the fullness of God" no less!  Sadly, many people hold their hand up indicating that they only want a quarter inch of fullness in their glass.  (With a full pitcher poised above them.)  What is up with that?  Why do we want more of everything but God? Everyone wants more money, more fun, more friends, and more stuff.  But the fullness of God?   "A little dab will do ya."  Brothers and sisters, this should not be!  We should be constantly filled and refilled with the precious Holy Spirit.

If we are going to be the vessels that carry the gospel to a lost and dying world, we must do so with a full pitcher.  What happens when you fill a pitcher to the brim and walk with it?  Yes, of course!  It splashes out all along the way.  That is our duty!  We should be anointed spillers and splashers of the Holy Spirit.  The love of God, the joy of God, the peace of God should fill us to overflowing.

No matter how much of Him you now have, there is infinitely more.  God is without limit.  The only limitation is how much space we reserve for God- if we are full of ourselves and other junk, it caps off the amount of capacity available for Him.  If we run out of our devotional or worship time with our container only partially filled, we will later have a deficit.

Many good intentioned men and women of God are out ministering with a thimbleful of the presence and anointing of God.  No wonder we get burned out and used up.  It is hard- no, impossible!- to give out what you do not possess.

I am not talking about saving faith.  I am talking about abundance in God.  We must desire more of His  presence and all that it entails, in our lives.  No one wants dry religion!  Let us serve up the "Water of the Word."

Dear Lord, I am guilty.  I am often satisfied with way less than you want to give me.  I ask you to fill me and anoint me to pour into others.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.