An Empty Vessel

God cleanses us at Salvation and creates an empty vessel to fill with Himself. As our flesh decreases, Christ is able to increase in us (John 3:30). He brings with Him all the attributes of the Trinity to abide within us.

We welcome every trial and look for the hand of God in both the negative and positive aspects of life - knowing that it is all part of His pre-arranged will for us and that He works out everything for our ultimate good (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28).

We have confidence in the fact that nothing in heaven, on earth or in hell can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). We trust in His divine will and draw from His power within us to obey His Spirit each moment of the day.

We delight in working according to His good pleasure (Psalm 40:8). He fills us with all peace and makes us pleasing in His sight (Romans 15:13; Hebrews 13:21). We start as an empty vessel at salvation and He fills us to the brim with Himself (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Our weakness makes room for His strength, His will is our sole motivation and His ways are the only desires of our heart. We find glory in our short-comings, idiosyncrasies and infirmities, because through them, He is glorified.

Our peculiarities are God's sign of ownership. Do you have issues with the way you talk, look, the balance of your bank account, the profession in which you work?

God uses these peculiarities to keep us humble and dependent on Christ in us rather than our own special human abilities. As we submit to His will, He can accomplish His will on the earth.

If we are still full of our self, we leave no room for God to fill us with His presence and purpose for our life. The more we empty our self of our self, the more of us He can use.

Prayer:

Father God, we bow before You in humble adoration and praise. We depend on You for the very air we breathe. Your almighty power is at work within us, in nature all around us, and in the lives with which we come into contact every day. We totally surrender to Your perfect will for every moment of our life.

We trust in You to use us as You will and to work out everything in our life - even the negative aspects - for our good (Romans 8:28). You work mightily within us by Your power and we lift up Your majesty on high. We give You Your way in our life and trust You to use us now and to take us home to glory with You when we complete our mission for You here on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

In the solace of surrender and faith, we find the deepest measure of God's love and presence.

God Loves Inability

 

There is good news for we humans who realize that in our self there resides not one good thing (Romans 7:18). God is not looking for adept, super humans to carry out His will in the earth. He tends to choose the base and foolish to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). As long as we have one ounce of human effort left within us, He cannot use us (John 5:19-20). He does not want our experience, training, knowledge, common sense, abilities, talents or human effort. He simply wants empty vessels to fill (2 Corinthia1ns 4:7).

Without the Spirit of God residing within us, we do not belong to Him (Romans 8:9). As we forsake the corrupt flesh, the earthly realm and the devil’s plan, we enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Once we realize that without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5), we place our total reliance on Him. We reject all doubt and completely resign our will to His. We totally surrender our goals and desires to His. God’s fire burns in our heart, uniting us to His purpose for our life (Mark 1:15).

We learn obedience through tribulation, just as Jesus did (Hebrews 5:8). We grow by persistently walking in His Spirit, who leads us in God’s perfect will for us each moment of the day. We do not waste our time, resources or efforts partaking in worldly pleasures, but instead we follow the direction of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:6,25).  Rejecting fear’s control, we trust in God’s faithfulness and become like little children, trusting our Father as He furthers the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:15). With Christ in us we trust Him and His hope for our eternal freedom (Colossians 1:27).

We do not have to wait until eternity to live continually in the Spirit. Jesus brought total salvation on the cross for everyone humble enough to accept it. His divinity dwells within our spirit and affects our body and soul – our mind, will and emotions. Even in this world filled with anxiety, we have rest in Him (Hebrews 4:10). We lay down our life and take up Christ’s life instead. In Him we live and move and have our entire being (Acts 17:28). As we boast in our weakness, Christ’s strength is made complete in us (2 Corinthians 11:30).

Christ fills our body, soul and spirit with Himself (Galatians 2:20). Regardless of tribulation or discouragement, we rise above the natural world because Christ lives completely and abundantly in us. The benefit for every Believer is to unceasingly abide in Christ. We no longer focus on the trials and stresses of an earthly existence, but we live every moment in abiding fellowship with Christ by His Spirit. He is able to do infinitely more in and through us than we can even imagine, because of His power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Prayer:

Father God, You faithfully fill each of our moments with the security and love of Your ever-present Spirit. With our whole heart, we accept and enjoy the blessings You prepare for each new day. We will only perform the works, which You created for us before the world began (Ephesians 2:10). When we look for Your blessings, You withhold them from us. Yet, when we praise You for who You are, You flood our life with Your blessings. We enjoy Your presence and grace as You remove our doubts and fill us with Your faith and love.

Thought for the Day:

God gives us fresh manna with each new day.