Fill Your Emptiness with Jesus
Today I want to talk about a Bible passage that doesn’t give warm fuzzies to most of us. It might even shake us to the core so we’re glad to move on thinking it does not speak about us. But it does and that’s why I want to talk about the passage today. It’s not enough we’re cleansed from all unrighteousness, we also need to be filled with God’s love. So fill your emptiness with Jesus and your life will be filled with color.
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45, NIV)
Fill your emptiness with Jesus
What do you think? Does this Bible passage have anything to do with ordinary Christians? I think so. Sure, Jesus was addressing the attitude of the religious leaders of Israel here, but it does not mean it is not meant for us too. Of course, it is important our hearts are cleansed from all unrighteousness for sure. But similarly, it is important not to leave our hearts to their own devices.
Have you ever heard the term ‘power vacuum’? According to Wikipedia, in a power vacuum, other forces will tend to “rush in” to fill the vacuum as soon as it is created, perhaps in the form of an armed militia or insurgents, military coup, warlord or dictator. The Bible passage talks about the same thing.
An empty heart will not stay empty, it’s only a question of time when it will be filled. We might think we’d be able to keep our heart empty and clean from now on, but no human being has been able to do it so far. So, if we do not want to be reconquered, it’d be good to let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit fill us. Again and again.
So. Fill your emptiness with Jesus. (Or better yet: let Jesus fill your emptiness.) And you don’t need to be afraid of hostile takeovers anymore because in Jesus you are safe. Now and forever.
Dear God,
Thank you for saving us and cleansing us with your grace.
Fill us also with your Spirit.
We surrender to you, the Lord of our lives.
Guard and protect us from all evil.
May your good will happen in and through us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Have you learned to refill yourself with Jesus?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace Jesus day by day!
Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash.