Filled With What?

People can be full of all kinds of things. Perhaps we have known some who were said to be full of hot air. Others are so off base they are said to be full of baloney. Then we may have known those who seemed full of gratitude or love or patience or some other noble quality. But what do we make of a person who is full of themselves?

Someone has advised, “Get so full of your subject that there is no room for yourself in the message.” [source: list of sentence sermons]

This is something Paul seemed to have done. He wasn’t jealous of other’s ministries because his focus was on the work and the Gospel of Jesus rather than on himself. He viewed himself and others as merely servants ( 1 Corinthians 3:5) involved in the same work and knew it was not on himself that the attention was to rest. It was by the mercy of God ( 2 Corinthians 4:1) that Paul was involved in ministry. Perhaps while Paul was absorbed in persecuting the church prior to his conversion he was full of himself. He had a rich heritage of which any Jew would have been proud. ( Philippians 3:4-6) However, all of that was worth losing for the sake of knowing Christ. Emptied of himself, Christ became the Lord of his entire life.

Writing to the church at Corinth Paul declared…
“For what we PROCLAIM IS NOT OURSELVES, BUT JESUS CHRIST AS LORD, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” ( 2 Corinthians 4:5 ESV)

Jesus Christ was CENTRAL to Paul’s life and CENTRAL to his message. Paul viewed his life from the standpoint that to live was Christ ( Philippians 1:21) and we should recognize what it means for Jesus to be our life as well. ( Colossians 3:3-4) May we, like Paul, set ourselves aside so that Jesus can remain CENTRAL to our life and the message of hope we share. By allowing ourselves to be filled with Christ, our life will be His and the message will remain His as well.

Have a great day FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH HIM!
Carl

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