The other day, I was sitting at my desk and I heard a strange noise. Thump, thump, thump. I sat still. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I turned off the A/C and fan and listened some more. The sound was coming from my water pot that I keep next to my plants. I looked inside and found a baby mouse jumping around, trying to get out. Why was he in there? Possibly he was running along the shelf and fell in. At any rate, the mouse didn't belong in there. Normally, you just put water in the pot. You put stuff in there that you want to pour out on your plants to help them grow. Stuff in the pot gets poured out (even the mouse got poured out in the yard...). I'm sure the mouse didn't have any thoughts on the matter, but do we put ourselves in God's big water pot so that we can be poured out—used by God—to help people grow in God's grace? Are you poured out for God? Are you poured out for God's people? It reminds me of some of the words to a song:
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Wow, what a prayer! You ask God to take you and make you into something He can use. And you ask Him to use you for His work. You are no longer for your own purposes but those that God deems appropriate. You are broken down, built back up into a vessel that honors God, filled with His Spirit, and completely poured out for His work. Do you know what it means to be emptied? Do you know what it means to be poured out?
2 Timothy 4:1-8
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
1 Corinthians 12, 13
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many...18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him... 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another... 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues... [Love] beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
No comments:
Post a Comment