This Week’s Passage: 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the word “filled” in verse 18 that I have been thinking on. It is a word that keeps popping up in the book of Ephesians. We saw it in 1:23, “the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” We saw it in 3:19, “that you might be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.” We saw it (or a form of it) in 4:13, “…attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” And we see it here.
It is a word that for me automatically puts a picture in my mind and immediately prompts some questions that I really don’t want to have to answer:
1) To what degree am I filled with the Spirit? Is it even possible to be partially filled?
2) If I am not filled with the Spirit then what am I filled with?
3) How can I get unfilled with the unspirit like stuff and filled with the Spirit?
4) When I get filled do I stay that way or do I leak? And if so, why? And how do I keep from leaking?
Reminds me of a story I heard years ago…
A country church was having their annual revival meeting. On the first night the preacher preached a message about repentance and the need to return to the Lord. At the altar call, a man came down the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, fill me”.The next night the preacher challenged the congregation with the need to totally surrender their lives to Christ in complete obedience. Again the altar call was extended; like the night before the same man came down the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, fill me”.The third night of the revival preacher warned his congregation of the evils of sin and urged the congregation to live lives of holiness. Again at the invitation was made to give one’s life to Christ, the same man came up the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, fill me”.
To which someone in the back of the church yelled; “Don’t do it Lord, He leaks!”
If the truth be told I believe that we all leak – so we need to continually be being filled with the Spirit. This is why I need to stay in the Word. This is why I need to come before the Father and pray. This is why I need to worship. This is why I need my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to be filled with the Spirit, filled to the measure of all the fullness of Christ. But if you see me leaking pray for me and help me plug the leaks.
I’m just sayin’!
Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 5:21-24
Shay years ago I read an article in a Campus Crusade magazine talking about the Holy Spirit. It was an object lesson on the Holy Spirit. You take a glass of plain milk , this symbolizes our body. You put chocolate syrup in the milk. This symbolizes at the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. If it is not stirred it just remains at the bottom of the glass and is difficult to see.and just has the flavor of milk. But once stirred ,For a believer by prayer, God’s Word, yielding ,worship and fellowship we are a glass with the right flavor and the Holy Spirit is seen and tasted . It is evident in us! I like the way you put it “when we are bumped who spills out”