Doesn’t everyone want to get the most out of life that this earthly existence has to offer? In his book of illustrations Dr. Tony Evans gives a great analogy for realizing the full potential of your life. Imagine that you are standing beside the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach and that you have a thimble in your hand. How much of the splendor and power of the ocean could you obtain? What if you dropped the thimble realizing its uselessness and grabbed a bucket. Now how much capacity for using the sea would you have? At best, just a little bit more. What if you threw down the bucket and were able to get a 55 gallon barrel. Now how much potential capacity of the ocean would you be able to acquire? What if you were able to drive a tanker onto the beach, what about your potential capacity to use the ocean now? You get the point: the greater the vessel offered, the greater amount of potential to store up, or better yet, to be filled by the Atlantic.
Similarly, when we are near to the one true creator God of the universe we are standing beside the ALL POWERFUL. Our potential capacity for being filled by Him is going to depend on what size vessel we offer to be filled. Can you begin to realize how silly it is to offer God only a thimble’s worth of your life and expect that His power is going to be with you when you need it. Yet, for most of us that’s exactly how we choose to live and then wonder why in the world things are going so poorly in our lives and the lives of our families. God demands that we offer Him our entire body, i.e. all of you, your whole self or your whole life! By offering God all of you, in effect, what you are doing is giving Him a huge vessel with which He can now pour out more of His Spirit into you. When He does this you can be assured that here and now in your everyday life you can experience life to its fullest. There is no greater achievement or reward that this world can give you than what God can do through you if you would only give yourself to Him! He is even more magnificent, majestic, splendid, beautiful, powerful, and vast than all of the seas combined because He created them.
Would you by faith in His Word give all of you to God today if you have never made this choice? It is a decision that will change your life here and now, and forever. Ask Him to forgive you for living according to your way and accept His Son Jesus’ forgiveness. Next, ask Him to be your Lord, accept His mastery over your life, and let His Spirit fill you up with strength and power for living. Romans 8:1-14 tells us that, “There is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit-and this power is mine through Christ Jesus-has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death . . .Those who let themselves be controlled by their own natures live only to please themselves, but those who follow after the Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that please God. Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after our old nature leads to death. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
The Message paraphrases it like this, “With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. So I ask you my friend, a thimble or tanker, which best describes what you are offering to God?
I love you and I am praying for you, Pastor Scott
