December 11
We think life is full because of all the big responsibilities we have.
Most of us are busy, especially this time of the year. In addition to work, school, family, church, sports, the time we volunteer, and sleep, there’s parties, shopping, decorating, and lots more stress.
But even then our days are not full.
We might tell people our schedule is full, but there’s so much more to life than this.
Need I remind you of all the smaller things you do every week: washing clothes, paying bills, studying for finals, preparing meals, getting dressed, driving children to school, raking leaves, cleaning house, taking care of the pets, and grooming.
Think of all the little things that claim so much of our time.
All of these things and so much more are important parts of our lives, and they all have to be done.
That fills up our lives, right?
Of course, not. There is so much more to life than this. We aren’t robots running around just doing things. We are filled with emotions.
We have hopes and dreams. Our days are filled with love, fear, doubts, anger, empathy, trust, anticipation, and surprise.
Our lives are filled with emotion and with all the other things we often think there is no room for God.
Sometimes we filled with sadness, but hopefully most to the time we are happy and filled with joy.
But what is the secret to joy? Is it filling our life with stuff? Is it marrying into wealth? It is winning a state championship or landing the job you want?
Our lives become so full, even of good things, that it is a big temptation to say we have no room for the One that promises to bring us lasting joy, the Spirit of God.
Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him. And he will eat with me.” Rev. 3:20
How often do we say, “Look, Jesus, there is no room now for you at my table. It’s full.”
Then we discover that Jesus doesn’t just want to be a part of our day. He doesn’t just want to have a prayer at meal time, or a five-minute quiet time, or for you to tip him occasionally at church like you would a waiter at a restaurant.
There is room for the Spirit if we open the door.
Jesus wants to permeate our entire day with his Holy Spirit so that there isn’t a single part of our day or our lives that is not touched by Him in some way whether it be your job, sports, studies, family life, leisure time, or mundane chores.
When that happens, our priorities will be judged and adjusted; how we relate to others will not be the same; and the joy we experience will blossom like the crocus in the desert.
While receiving God’s Spirit is a forever thing when we give our heart to Him and profess His as our Savior, being filled with the Spirit is an ongoing and repeated thing.
So this week, allow the Lord to baptize you with songs from the Spirit so that you can full and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19)
The Spirit will permeate and transform our lives.