“I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10
Dear Ones:
On the subject of fullness, the Bible has a lot to say. For example, “…Thou greatly enrichest it (the earth) with the river of God, which is FULL of water.” (Ps.65:9) In Psalm 104:16, we read: “The trees of the Lord are FULL of sap,” and “…the earth is FULL of Thy riches. (v.24) Later on in the Psalm, the psalmist writes: “…Thou openest Thine hand, they are FILLED with good.” (v.29) All of these verses of Scripture speak of FULLNESS as it is seen in the physical realm. But, what about the spiritual realm? And, are there any “carry-overs” of meaning, in the illustrations given to us in the physical world? The first, and most important, “carry-over” is the fact that the river, the trees, the earth…and all in them, belong to God. He is the Creator and Maintainer of them. And ONLY He who has designed them knows HOW to fill them, and with what. The second thing that we notice is that every created thing has a “capacity” to receive. In the spiritual realm the same is true. The Creator made us to be FILLED, and this, to our capacity. He knows that capacity, and He alone can fill it. The question then is this: “Since we have been made in His image, according to His design, each with our own capacity, can we trust Him to fill us with that which is Good, the Spirit of Christ?
As we must always have a vision of the truth of the matter, we ALWAYS must defer to the word of God to have a basis for faith, trusting God specifically for His fullness. So, let’s begin by using the illustration that Jesus used, with regard to WATER. The Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman: “…the water that I shall give him shall be in him a WELL OF WATER springing up into everlasting life.” (Jn.4:14) Note that He speaks of a “well,” one that is a constant resource, and it is “springing up.” This “well” is filled with “living water,” being so by virtue of the Christ’s life by the Spirit. It is also an “active,” “moving” life, one that is ever rising. We might even say, “overflowing.” Later in John’s gospel, we find Jesus crying out to the crowds on the “…last day, that great day of the feast,” in Jerusalem: “He that believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly (heart) shall flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER.” (7:38) John goes on to write: “…but this He spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.” (v.39) Again, we not only see a source of water, but a quantity and effect of that water. This “river of God,” IS God, by the Spirit, residing in the heart of the believer. This river is not only powerful, but active. It is living, and it is flowing…flowing outward, upward, onward.
On the day of Pentecost, according to Joel’s prophecy, and Peter’s preaching, the Spirit of God was poured out. At that moment, the Spirit came to indwell the heart of the believer, as a “well of water,” and a “river flowing.” It was the very life of Christ by the Spirit. What is thus God’s will with regard to this Life by the Spirit? “Be FILLED with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) What does this mean, and how can it be lived? It means first of all, trusting the Lord to reveal Himself to the heart through His word, and this in the fullest measure. Secondly, it means trusting Him to strengthen us to believe Him for His fullness, our resource for every need, for His glory.
Dear Father, as the “waters fill the sea,” fill us with the knowledge of Thyself according to Your word. Then grant us to be strengthened to believe You for the fullness of thy Son’s life to “dwell in our hearts” consistently. We praise and thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad