Day 50 – From Empty to Full
Brother Lawrence wrote, “I know that to [live every day in God’s presence] your heart must be empty of all other things because God desires to possess it exclusively, and he cannot possess it exclusively without first emptying it of everything other than himself; neither can he act within it nor do there what he pleases.”
Brother Lawrence invites us to let go of the clutter in our lives. When our hearts are filled with other things, we’re not full of God. When our hearts are de-cluttered and receptive, God infuses us with himself.
To be filled with the Spirit, we must be emptied of self.
Paul exhorts us: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
To offer ourselves totally to God means that we’re no longer in charge of our lives. God is.
You might think: I don’t know if I can make that kind of surrender. That sounds simple, but that’s not easy. I’m afraid I will fail.
Yet as completely as we know how, we give ourselves to God.
Our surrender to God may be prompted by some glaring failure or struggle over a particular issue. It may come about because we are hungering and thirsting after God, desperate to know God and experience his power.
We offer to God our thoughts, attitudes, and actions; our mind, will, and emotions; our bodies, hands, and feet; everything. We surrender ourselves to the Spirit of God who dwells within us.
This is a spiritual turning point – a decisive decision-making moment.
As we give ourselves totally to God, Jesus fills us with his Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). God comes to dwell in his fullness.
This is what Brother Lawrence underscores: God can only fill what is empty and what belongs to him. We move from empty to full.
Action Step: Wave the white flag of surrender to God and begin emptying out your spiritual clutter.
This is God’s Word for you today,
Pastor Dave
