The Fullness of God

In Ephesians 3:19,

Paul prays for the church "that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

But...

What is the fullness of God?


(image from http://www.ignitecampusmin.com)

As a mother, I spend a lot of time filling things up: clean cups and plates, empty hands and bellies, flat balloons and floaties. All kinds of things are waiting to be filled: with food, with love, and with my very breath.

Somehow, though, all these things seemd to get empty again rather quickly.

I can't tell you how many meals I've fixed, sippy cups I've filled, and inflatables I've blown up.What I can tell you is, as soon as I turn around, the kid feels hungry again, the milk is spilled, and the balloon has popped.

Is the fullness of God like this? Is it a temporary thing that we lose and refill over and over?

It certainly feels that way sometimes. How often do we come to God, empty and dry, spilled out and deflated, begging for Him to fill us up again? I think maybe there's a hole somewhere that His fullness keeps leaking out of.


My neighbor has a cool bouncy house that the kids like to play on. We had a cheap one a long time ago, but it popped almost immediately and lost all its air, so it was no longer fun to jump in.

But my neighbor has the industrial-grade one, with the electric air pump to keep it filled with air for hours of jumping fun.

(image from http://www.karismagicparties.com)

Do you see the idea? With my cheap inflatable, one hole rendered it useless and in need of repair. But with a real bouncy house, a few little holes make no difference, because of the continuous infilling of air coming from the power source.

I'm sure you get the spiritual application here. We need a continuous infilling of the Holy Spirit to keep us filled with the fullness of God. So where does this come from?

Ephesians 5:18b-21
"Be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God."

We stay filled with the fullness of God by (1) giving praise to God, (2) giving thanks for ALL things, and (3) giving to one another.

I was feeling pretty good about this until we got to number three there. Give to one another?! After all, isn't it giving to others that leaves me feeling drained and depleted?

But it's in giving to others that Jesus promises us the most filling experience.

Luke 6:38
^"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

What does Jesus say about tomorrow?

From Jesus Calling by Sarah Young:

(Jesus says:)

"DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW!

This is not a suggestion, but a command.

I divided time into days and nights, so that you would

have manageable portions of life to handle.

My Grace is sufficient for you,

but its sufficiency is for only one day at a time.

When you worry about the future,

you heap day upon day of troubles onto your flimsy frame.

You stagger under the heavy load

which I never intended for you to carry.

Throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust.

Anxious thought meander about and crisscross in your brain,

but trusting brings you directly into My Prescence.

As you thus affirm your faith, shackles of worry

fall off instantly. Enjoy My Prescence

by continually trusting Me at all times."

 

This was an extremely timely message for me. I seem to need to be reminded of this directive from Jesus every day.

How often do I waste time worrying about tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that?

And it IS a giant waste of time. "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (Matt 6:27 NLT) The answer, or course, is a big fat NO!

(image from http://switchgaming.blogspot.com)

In fact, worrying takes AWAY time, by wasting it on useless anxiety.

Knowing this, of course, doesn't stop me from doing it.

Hence today's little reminder......

Jesus Loves the Little Children... But Why?

"The Kingdom of God" by Greg Olson

(image from http://www.dst-corp.com)

Luke 18:16

"But Jesus called the children to Him and said,

'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid

them, for of such is the Kingdom of God.'"

Jesus was tired. He had been teaching all day, telling parables and answering questions; it's no wonder the disciples tried to send the children away.

After all, they figured, the last thing the Rabbi needed was a bunch of snotty-nosed babies in His lap, wiping their sticky hands on His robe and crying into His beard. "Get these kids out of here!" the disciples said to the mothers. "The Teacher doesn't have time for this kind of nonsense."

The disciples wanted to keep those annoying children away so that Jesus could concentrate on more important things: preaching, teaching, and instructing the many who had come to Him for wisdom.

But the disciples were misunderstanding what the important things really were. The important things were the human hearts Jesus had come to touch, the souls He had come to redeem. This was His primary mission: not preaching clever sermons, but rescuing lost souls.

Although Jesus did instruct people in the ways of God, He also knew that no amount of intellectual knowledge would bring them into the Kingdom of God. The adults in His audience were religious Jews, people who had grown up with plenty of (head) knowledge about God's Kingdom. However, they were still ignorant of the (heart) knowledge of God's Kingdom.

Only the little children were able to receive His blessing wholeheartedly, without judgemnet or question, able to believe in Him completey and to be of the Kingdom of God.

The disciples had it all upside down and backwards. The many great minds in the group surrounding Jesus, those ready to debate with him and discuss important religious matters, were not of he Kingdom of God. Only the hearts who were open and ready to receive Him were of the Kingdom.

The hearts of the children and the hearts of the adults were all precious in His sight. These all were the souls He had come to save.

Can you miss the exit on the road to Emmaus?

Duccio di Buoninsegna, "Road to Emmaus" from www.chinaoilpaintinggallery.com
You have probably heard the story of the road to Emmaus.

After the Ressurection of Jesus, these events are recorded in Luke 24:

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village

called Emmaus, about seven miles  from Jerusalem.

¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.

¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other,

Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them;  

¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing Him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together

as you walk along?”They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them,

named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem

who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “

He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.

²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death,

and they crucified Him; ²¹ but we had hoped that He was the one

who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more,

it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition,

some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning

²³ but didn’t find His body. They came and told us that they had seen

a vision of angels, who said He was alive.

²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it

just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe

all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer

these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses

and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said

in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going,

Jesus continued on as if He were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged Him strongly,

“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.”

So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks,

broke it  and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened

and they recognized Him,  and He disappeared from their sight.

³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us  

while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures  to us?”

This passage is pretty familiar to most Christians. But something new struck me as I read it today.

Jesus was about to keep on going when they reached the village, (after all, His destination was Heaven and not Emmaus, right?) but stayed when they strongly urged Him to. If Cleopas and his friend had not asked Him to stay, He would have gone on.

What would have happend then?

The men would never have known Jesus had been there.

Everything else would have been the same: Jesus had been there; He had explained the Scriptues to them; their hearts had been burning withing them.

They would have simply eaten their dinner, remarked on what a nice talk they'd had with the stranger on the road, and said too bad how the man had inisted on going on with out them, etc., never knowing Jesus had been among them all day.

They would have missed the miracle of being aware of His presence.

So how did they avoid missing out on the miracle of the Emmaus road? They urged Him strongly to stay with them.

This reminds me of Jacob wrestling with the angel, refusing to let go until he received a blessing.

Or the words of Jesus, in Matthew 7:

⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking,

and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives.

Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread,

do you give them a stone instead? ¹⁰ Or if they ask for a fish,

do you give them a snake? Of course not!

¹¹ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?

So the lesson for us is, Don't miss out on the miracle! Keep on asking for it!

Don't miss the exit!

Be Bartimaeus

"Jesus Healing the Blind of Jericho" by Nicholas Poussin

Image from allposters.com

A short devotional for today:



Mark 10: 46-52

⁴⁶ Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho

with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus,

the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

 ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more,

“Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him,

“Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

⁵⁰ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Jesus told Bartimaeus to go his way. But he chose to go Jesus' way.

May we do the same!

Heaven on Earth?

"Heaven's Garden" by Marina Petro marinapetro.blogspot.com

I have heard some Christians say that they don’t need to wait for heavenly glory, that with Jesus, earthly life is sweet enough.

Well, to be honest, I’m not there yet.

Maybe it’s because I’m not the best Christian in the world (I freely admit that I’m not) but I don’t find earthly life to be sweet. With Jesus I’d say it’s just bearable. Without Him, I can’t imagine.

Sometimes this life is just so incredibly wearying I can’t stand it.

Now before you call the Crisis Center on me, let me just say I am not slashing my wrists or anything. I’m just saying that this world is not heaven.

Whatever Belinda Carlisle might have sung back in the 80’s, heaven is NOT a place on earth.

(image from wikia.com)

My devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young for today read as follows:

“Do not long for the absence of problems in your life.

That is an unrealistic goal, since in this world you

will have trouble. You have an eternity of problem-free

living reserved for you in heaven. Rejoice in that

inheritance, which no one can take away from you,

but do not seek your heaven on earth.”

I found this encouraging, because the truth is, I really have been longing for a problem-free life.

I mean, aren’t we all?

(image from clipartof.com)
Isn’t that the basis for every advertisement and infomercial there is, a promise to eliminate our problems?


It‘s a cheerful smiling voice saying, “Do you suffer from blank? Well try new blank and all your troubles are over!”

But that’s not what Jesus promised us.


He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)

But the verse doesn’t stop there.

“But take heart!” He adds. “I have overcome the world.”

So when we’re looking for Jesus to take away all our problems, we’re looking for the wrong thing.

We're looking for heaven on earth, when we should be looking for Jesus Himself instead.

Guess What? I Don't Know Everything!

 

Did you get that? I do NOT, in fact, know everything.

I am very embarrassed to admit this.

Okay. Okay. You can stop laughing now.

I know you're probably saying, "Duh, Christie. Obviously you don't know everything. NO ONE does."

But here's the thing: I like to think I know everything. Or at least most things.

I mean, don't you?

(image from http://darleneanitascott.wordpress.com/)

I prefer to think I'm smart and know the answers.

Yes, I was that kid in school. The one with her hand up when the teacher asked a question, jumping and going, "Oooh! Oooh! Pick Me! ME! I  know!"

But I just had a little rude awakening. Yesterday I read Luke 5:1-11. This is the story of the calling of Peter, James, John and Andrew.

"Calling of the Fisherman" Harry Anderson http://www.dst-corp.com

This lesson just showed up last week at the kids' class I teach at the chapel. I've done it before: you make a fish craft; you sing "Fishers of Men," et cetera.

So when I saw that this was the Bible readng,I said to myself, "I know this one. Like I told the kids: The disciples weren't catching anything so Jesus told them to let down their nets on the other side and then they had lots of fish. Then they all left their nets and followed Him."

Then I read it:

¹ One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around Him and listening to the word of God, ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat.
⁴ When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.

Okay. Whoops.

I realized  I had taught the kids the wrong story! The "Let down your nets on the other side" thing didn't happen until after the Resurrection! This story wasn't the same at all!

Now, maybe you think that's a ridiculous distinction; after all, it was still about the disciples catching a bunch of fish after following Jesus' instructions.

But I thought I knew what I was talking about. And it turns out I didn't.

It's like when that kid waves and waves his hand at the teacher until she finally calls on him and then he gets the answer wrong.

Ouch.

This is just another example of God showing me I don't have all the answers.

The disciples weren't able to catch any fish until they had listened to Jesus' teaching and then  followed His instructions.

Just like I should be doing.

Right after I apologize to all those kids.....