Ephesians 3:16-19
(Amplified Bible)
“May God
grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and
reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself
indwelling your innermost being and personality].
“May
Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His
permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and
founded securely on love,
“That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];
“[That you may really come] to know [practically, [a]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [b]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] [c]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [d]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
I love that verse. I want to be filled through all of my being with all the fullness of God. As we perfect the art of living fully and calmly, immersed in God’s presence within, we carry that awareness with us even as we live life at a full run. We carpool, work long hours, grocery shop, care for our home, interact with family and friends and fall into a carefree sleep every night, only to wake in the morning to another day.
The object, however, is to simplify our lives at
the same time that we abide in God’s presence. Rather than working for
God, we can allow Him to work in and through us. We cut out
everything in our lives that is not absolutely relevant. Delegation, cessation,
donation, formation, negation, sumation and salvation all play an important
part in emptying ourselves of our inner clutter. Once we are totally void of
“self” and totally filled with all the fullness of God, we live in peace and
joy.
When we allow the pressures and distractions of life to monopolize our attention, we rush headlong through our day and then fall into an exhausted sleep each night, without ever visiting our inner place to meet with our Father. When our mind fills with clutter and distraction, we get pulled in too many directions without any goals or purpose. We find a lack of depth in our thoughts and actions. God’s voice cannot compete with our distractions or penetrate our awareness, because the clutter is too overpowering and we are not listening for His voice.
Only our thoughts which are totally Spirit-led, when acted upon, will bear any fruit for the kingdom of God. The fulfilled life, guided by the Spirit of God, takes time, effort and commitment. Simplify your life by getting rid of the inner clutter first. Then have a garage sale and rid your home and office of all unnecessary clutter.
During the day, when you feel your peace leave you, stop! Go to a quiet place (like superman and his phone booth). Focus your attention on your spirit, your body and your soul ~ your mind, your will and your emotions. Get in touch with God and find out what disturbed your peace, ask Him for clarity and healing and then find out His will for you at this moment. When we abide in the Vine, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, why we refuse to continually dwell in this inner sanctum with You, I do not know! We always feel so apologetic when we realize, too late, that we missed the guidance of Your Holy Spirit in some instance. We also recognize that we often miss out on success in our endeavors, because we did not listen to Your still, small voice within us. Help us to simplify, to listen, to obey and to abide in Your presence.
Thought for the Day:
When we sit quietly in His presence, we allow God to conform us from the inside out.
