“For whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him.” John 3:34
Dear Ones:
What do the words, “the fullness of the Spirit,” really mean? In the book of Jeremiah, there is a promise that God gives to the priests. He says: “I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness.” (31:14) The word “satiate” means: “fill to the full.” There are two aspects of this subject of fullness, specifically that of the fullness of the Spirit.
First, in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he prays that they might be “…filled with all the fullness of God.” (3:19) He is certainly NOT speaking of being filled with the magnitude, enormity of God. He is primarily speaking of fullness in terms of the completeness of Christ by the Spirit, living and dwelling in the heart of the believer. The Spirit of God is a Person. He does not come to dwell in the heart in any half measure, or one facet of His nature. Wesley put it like this: “Less than THYSELF, oh, do not give, In might Thyself within me live; Come, ALL Thou hast and art.”
Secondly, the concept of the fullness of the Spirit speaks to us of “capacity,” God’s and ours. From the standpoint of God, His capacity to “fill” with Himself is as great as is His Person. There is no measuring of that greatness. With regard to our capacity, God waits to give without measure of Himself to the limits, and sometimes beyond the limits, of our capacity to receive. A seasoned soldier of Christ, who has walked with the Lord for a long time, might have a greater “capacity” to receive the Spirit in the fullest measure possible. A young Christian, perhaps having a smaller capacity, can still be filled with the Spirit. Christ still comes to the heart with all that He is. But He also comes to fill the heart and soul to the limits of the capacity of the believer to receive. And this He WILL do for the one who seeks Him, and who believes the promise.
Dear Father, You have commanded us to be filled with Spirit. You have also said that you will “pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” Pour out Thy Spirit upon us today, anointing us afresh with Your blessed life in Your Son. Strengthen our hearts to believe You to “fill us to the full.” Feel perfectly at home in our hearts by faith this day. Come all that Thou hast and art. We thank Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad