Fill ‘er up !

There’s a little symbol or icon on most computers signifying how much power you have on your laptop before you must recharge the battery. Click on it and it may say 50%, for example.  It’s one way of safeguarding, as you work on your PC, that you won’t be in the middle of doing some work on your machine and it shuts down for lack of juice !  I guess in some ways its similar to the gas gauge on your car.   But what’s your meter reading in your heart today?   That is, does the Holy Spirit have 100% of you, or less?   Have you turned complete control over to Him or are you chugging along with low spiritual power?

As Paul was wrting to his dear friends in Christ in Ephesus, he commanded them by Holy Spirit inspired force “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (5:18).   One the one hand, the concern here is not to have “the tank” full of the wrong stuff but instead Him Who is always right and all-powerful.    Not long ago a church member was going to mow our lawn at church and he mistakenly filled the mower with kerosene instead of gasoline.  It wasn’t long before the motor was sputtering and just conked out that he realized his error.  But how much more grave when we fill our life with things other than Him, in some cases it leads to lethal consequences but always to less than ideal happenings.

And oh how easy it is to live life in my strength rather than rest in His.  It’s so easy for some of us to live with an independence that shoves the Lord to the side but as a child of God we must walk the line of doing what He wants us to while at the same time doing so with Him in charge.  When it comes to a decision, rely on His Word above all. When it comes to service, give it your best while all the time drawing from His power. When you “feel” less than wanting to be gracious, ask for His compassion to be so.  Today is a new day, make sure the battery of your heart is connected and drawing power from Him and you won’t be flat, you can then get through anything  (Phil.4:13) !!!