From Emptiness to Fullness

… that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:19 (NIV)

I lay in bed, listening to the rhythmic call of the Whip-poor-will as he perches in the tall oak outside my bedroom window. Sunlight peeks through the blinds, urging me to wake and seize this new day.

            As the fog of slumber dissipates along with the muddled thoughts that belong to the realm of dreams, the realities of my waking life cause a sigh. I’m not ready to tackle the demands of this new day. My heart and soul feel empty before the day has even begun.

            I slip into prayer, soaking in God’s presence like parched land soaks in the rain. Today, I need to cast my burden on Him more than ever. In that moment, I hear God speak to my heart, saying, “When you are empty of yourself, then I can pour myself more fully into you. For when your self-sufficiency is gone, when your earthly wisdom has run out, when your strength has petered out, and you have nothing left to offer, then I am truly able to pour myself into every part of you – not just to the brim, but to overflowing.”

When I stop relying on myself and my feeble resources, and lean solely upon God’s mercies, that’s when I truly experience Christ-sufficiency. My lack is my gain, for less of me means there is room for more of Him. Everything I need I have in Him.

            Empty so that I might be full; this is the paradox of grace.

Thought: “Difficulties and obstacles are God’s challenges to faith. When hindrances confront us in the path of duty, we are to recognize them as vessels for faith to fill with the fullness and all-sufficiency of Jesus.” – A.B. Simpson

For further reading:

• John 1:16
• Romans 15:13
• Ephesians 1:23
• Ephesians 3:16-20

Excerpt from my devotional, A Year in God’s Classroom

https://a.co/d/dRHeCHr