1 Thessalonians 4:3 “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”
Today’s entry from one of the devotionals I have been reading written by Steve Case:
“Think of yourself as a clear glass jar, perhaps a Mason jar that your grandmother uses to preserve strawberries. Got it? Now let’s think of that jar as being full of stones. Now picture adding fine sand and watching it seep into the cracks between the rocks. But God wants to fill us with his cool, clear water. Now it’s a matter of how much room we’re willing to give him. We can take out the stones and make more room, but if we want every bit of space to be filled with God’s water we’re going to have to take out the sand as well. Some will be easy. It will just pour out. But some will cling to the sides and stick to the bottom. The jar must be scrubbed and rinsed over and over until we’re ready to take all that God can give us.”
I cried when I read that this morning. It was such a perfect description of how I feel. The two most important parts being that God is the water and He wants to fill us with Him. And in order to fill ourselves (the jars) with His water we must remove everything else (the sand) until we are “ready to take all that God can give us.”
I have been slowly removing that sand one-grain at a time as I’ve been filling myself with Him, leaving all the junk behind. As I’m becoming more and more filled with His water I am becoming more and more fully alive. Some of that sand is still clinging tight…but as I slowly remove it, I am becoming more obedient. I am becoming sanctified.
I love the ocean. It is my peaceful place. My friend just returned from a trip to the ocean and she brought me a couple of sweet gifts…a jar full of sand and a plaque that reads “The waves of the sea help me get back to me.” It is no coincidence that she gave this to me today. God wanted me to write this message today. God is with me everywhere. He speaks to me all the time. I love the ocean because for me that’s where I feel closest to Him. But really I don’t need to be near the ocean…He is filling me with His water wherever I am.
Father I pray that You continue to fill me with Your living water. Help me to remove the stones and the sand. Help me to be filled with only You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please take a few minutes and listen to this song. I was blessed to hear Chris Tomlin perform it live last week and every time I hear it close my eyes and thank God for loving me the way He does. He loves you too. Stop searching for the answers elsewhere and allow Him to fill you with His love. He is such a Good Good Father.
Blessings,
Stacey ~ iamalive