filled to the brim!

Ephesians 3-
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I have been the worst at "filling my own cup" as my senior pastor always encourages me to do. But thankfully, we are finally offering a mid-week Bible study at church. It works out wonderfully because I'm at church anyways teaching Confirmation class, so I can hang and study with some pretty awesome people of faith. We're in Ephesians right now. Paul writes a wonderful prayer for the people of Ephesus in verse 3. He says he kneels before our Father and, among other things, prays that they would "be filled with the fullness of God". This is such a beautiful sentiment. Everything on earth is so empty. We fill our lives with emptiness, when you think about it. Even me and all my excuses for not being in the Word more- they were all empty. But our Almighty God is the absence of emptiness. He is the almighty, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent Divine. His fullness fills the infinite. He has no beginning, he has no end. He was and is and is to come. He is God.

But God doesn't keep it all to Himself. He doesn't sit on His throne above and watch his dilapidated creation wallow in their own emptiness. No, His fullness became flesh and saved us from the emptiness of sin.

Colossians 1- 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

How wonderful that the Infinite Almighty had His fullness dwell here on earth among us. Because that fullness suffered and died we are no longer cut off. We are no longer destined to try to fill ourselves up with the emptiness that surrounds us. Through Christ we are made full. Full of love, peace, hope, grace, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, joy, gladness, and patience. These things cannot be found in the world, in the people around us. These things- these filling things- these are only from God. The world is empty calories; junk food that may be tasty, but provides nothing but gut aches and malnutrition. But God, He is protein full of healthy vitamins and nutrients that sustains life.


We have a cross-sized hole in our hearts, and as sinners we try and try to fill it with whatever empty, temporal things we can.  But thanks be to God through His Son we are made complete. Our cup overflows!

Paul's prayer is my prayer: Lord let me grasp how high and deep your love is. Let me be filled with you, the Living Water and Bread of Life, and not of the junk food of this word. May I be rooted and established in love- Your love- and may I reflect it in everything I think, say, and do. And may I always trust that you will do immeasurably more than anything I could ask or imagine, and may I always seek to do your will and let it be done in my life.
In the name of your Risen Son,
A-men.
May this be so.