This weekend it happened. I ran out of gas in my car. The thing that i've never came close to, happened. I normally never let it go below 1/4th tank, but the weather had been iffy and I hadn't driven much the past couple days. But yesterday, I got in my car, put the key in the ignition and that evil light came on. I live a couple miles from a gas station, so I figured I can make it because the light comes on when you have a little left. The 5 minute drive felt like 15, and I finally got to the gas station and to my dismay, all the pumps were full with cars. That's when the gas light started blinking at me, mocking me. I was sitting there praying that I would have enough to make it to the pump the whole way there. Finally, there was an empty pump. As I pull forward, my car stuttered and I knew instantly- I was out of gas. Luckily, thanks to God's sense of humor, I was able to pull the hose as far as it went and it reached my car and I was able to fill my tank. I had quite a freakout moment, followed by relieved chuckles. As I got back into my car I had one of those moments where God speaks to you, drops a thought in your head and you're like woah.
How many times in my, and your spiritual walks do we run on empty? We get our fill at church, and it's enough to get us through our weeks and we conveniently start getting the low gas light as we pull into church. We walk in the doors, drained, aggravated, and stressed out but we leave full! It's great to have a 'filling station' if you will, but why would we want to live a life like that? And we all know 'those weeks.' The weeks where everything goes wrong, it's ridiculous stress and before Wednesday comes you're on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown. And if it's not necessarily you, you've seen it plenty of other believers, even pastors. Those people who are always worn down and tired, yet they have the fuel right inside of them, they just don't pour it into their souls.
The Bible tells us constantly to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Not 'just a little', but completely full and running over with the Spirit that God sent to us, to be our comfort, strength, peace and more from Christ. 'Full' in the dictionary means 'containing as much as possible, not lacking, having an abundance.' Yet we feel at times that we're empty- which in the dictionary has a meaning of 'marked by the absence of human life, activity, or comfort and lacking substance, meaning, or value.'
And why is this? There can be a number of reasons. You could be lacking in your relationship with Christ. You could have weekly visitations with him, but you haven't fully let him move into your heart and life. Or, you could be filling up the tank of your Spirit with junk. It could be sin, or it can even just be letting your own worries and plans consume your life and not taking time to relax in his presence and let him fill you. I would urge you to consider the tank of your life, heart and Spirit and how full it is.
Dear friends, I want to live a life that's always full. And the glorious thing is that we have Christ, and the Spirit always there, always having abundance of what we need. Let us empty the things in our hearts that are taking up space, and be filled CONSTANTLY. There's seasons where you may need to spend multiple hours a day in his presence just to get through that day, and that's fine because his strength is sufficient in your weakness. There may be a situation that's just running you on low. Give that to God, his hands are big enough to carry it and the burden is not yours any longer. My prayer for myself and for you is this.
'Father, you see the areas of my life and relationship with you where i'm running on empty. I acknowledge that only you can completely fill and satisfy me. Forgive me for the times where I fill myself with worries or things of this earth. Fill me with your Spirit, rid my heart of things that are not of you and are taking up valuable space. Let me be in constant communication with you and your presence, so that I may always have the outpouring of your grace, peace, joy and goodness. Not only so I can live a full life, but that I may be able to pour into others. Amen.'
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