Dear friends,
I was just doing a perusal of my book shelf looking for this title, “Running on Empty!” Empty as an adjective means containing nothing, depleted or not occupied. We all understand that it would take a miracle for a car to run without any fuel. Thus we check our gas gauge to see how much we have left in the tank.
In the physical realm we usually know when we are “spent.” However, how do we know when we are empty spiritually? Do you have a gauge? I guess we could check out the “fruit of the Spirit?” Fruit comes from having a good root system. Basically – shallow roots – shallow life! If you and I aren’t rooted in Christ and grounded in His love then it won’t be long before we are exhausted.
Empty as a verb means to “remove the contents of.” Last Sunday our topic was, “The Filling of the Holy Spirit.” I find it rather ironic that in order to be filled we have to “empty” ourselves. But of what? Pride would be the correct answer. It is impossible to be under the control of the Holy Spirit when we are prideful. Thus the Lord has to “empty” us and bring us to the end of ourselves before we are “filled.”
Does that make sense? Some of us have been told when studying the bible that, “if the plain sense makes sense use no other sense.” Paul says, “when I am weak then I am strong.” Does that make sense? Does it make sense to “empty ourselves” so that we can be filled?
We will continue this Sunday our topic on, “The Filling of the Spirit and Why He Came.” I hope that your heart this Thanksgiving will be filled with praise.
Thankfully,
Glen