Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
Empty Yourself
God cannot fill us up if we’re already full of ourselves. If you read much of Luke 6 and the first half of Matthew 5, that ought to empty you enough so that God can fill you up. Whoever sees themselves as already having arrived hasn’t really began yet. Jesus said “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12). If we don’t humble ourselves, God may have to do it for us, and you can guess which is more painful.
Crushed Spirit
I like Isaiah the Prophet’s words about “the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15). The word of God says that God dwells with the lowly and contrite of heart. The word for “contrite” literally means “crushed’ so whoever is crushed and lowly in spirit is closer to God than those who are not.
Yielded to Him
Whoever is yielded to God’s Spirit is going to be open to receive more of Christ. When life leaves you feeling empty and lifeless, let the Word of God dwell in you richly and revive your soul. There is true power in the Word of God and the Spirit can open up His Word so much more that we can in our finite minds. When you are abiding in the Word, it means that Jesus is abiding in you too (John15:1-5), and that’s what you want.
The Sufficiency in Christ
I think there such a sufficiency in Christ that we don’t even have to worry about tomorrow (Matt 6:33). God’s already taken care of that since He inhabits eternity. If you wanted to go somewhere, wouldn’t you want to hear from someone that’s already been there? Of course you would, so think about tomorrow and rest in the knowledge that God’s already been there. It’s going to be okay.
Conclusion
If your life is empty, then fill up on Christ, but first empty yourself; then humble yourself; next, yield your life to Him and His Word, the Bible; and finally, rest in the sufficiency of Christ. God’s got it all under control. There’s no need to worry about something that God’s already aware of.
