10 May, 2011

Sloshing

I recently heard a man tell an endearing story about his three-year-old granddaughter.  She was learning to be helpful in the kitchen, and even though she was only twice the size of the gallon jug of orange juice, she was determined to pour her own glass of juice to go with her breakfast.  As he gathered other things for the breakfast table, he turned around to see that she was carefully pouring the juice into the glass and that it was just about to overflow.  She either didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping, or she was unaware of the consequence of continuing to pour, so he shouted “Stop!” and she did.  He told of his amazement at how very full of juice the glass was, and that not a single drop had hit the countertop.  But his granddaughter wasn’t done being helpful.  She wanted to carry the glass to the table, too.  Not willing to say no to her sweetness, he allowed her to pick up the glass and make her way to the breakfast table.  Naturally, the glass did not stay so full.  She sloshed a little here and a little there, covering herself and her path from kitchen to table with little sloshes of orange juice.

1 John 4:13
“And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.”

Ephesians 3:16-19
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.  A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
What does God’s Story scripture teach us about being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Because of our faith and God’s grace, we as Christians have the privilege of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  But the purpose of God filling us with himself is not just to sit on the countertop and see how full we can be, but instead it is to be dripped and spilled and sloshed on everything in our path.  God gives us love, joy, wisdom, peace, encouragement, knowledge, and every other good thing so that we can be useful to Him in helping each other.
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture to my life?

If you are a follower of Christ, you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you.  How full are you?  Are you using the resources God has given you (church, bible study, His Word, other Christians) to fill up your cup?  Ask God to fill you so that He can use your life to spill over and help others. 
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture and my story to others?

Are you sitting on the countertop or are you moving and spreading God’s gifts to you among others?  Do others leave your presence feeling like they have been refreshed by what God has given you?  Don’t keep what God has given you to yourself!  If you are “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” you should be ‘sloshing’ Him on everyone you come into contact with.
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