If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:10-11

CHAPTER TEN: EMPTY TO FILL

i am reminded of an illustration my pastor uses in church – we need to be pipes not buckets. yes we need to be filled with grace, poured into by His love, soaking up His truth… but it all needs to go somewhere. we cannot hold it all in our bucket. it gets stale, stagnant, lukewarm. when we are filled with grace, we need to pass it on – to empty it into others. we are pipes. carrying God through our lives.    to live joy filled we must learn to pass it on. to live a thankful life knowing we are blessed and then BEING the blessing. the Lord uses people. i bet one of the biggest ways the Lord has blessed you He has used at least one other person to help bless you in that moment. it is His joy to use us and we find joy in that. “God can enter into me, even me, and use these hands, these feet, to be His love, a love that goes on and on and on forever, endless cycle of grace” (page 200)

they say giving is better than receiving and they say that for a reason. it is true. we all feel that warm fuzzy inside when we are able to meet a need or provide that perfect gift but now even science is proving it. we were made to glorify the Lord. to be His hands and feet. to serve. 

it is the result of thanksgiving and of blessing. it makes doing the laundry an act of service for the Lord and not man. and same with changing diapers, entering data, vacuuming, making beds, running errands, working at your job – it is all in service for Him.   

HOW DO WE APPLY THIS:

give, serve, love   – pay for the person behind you in the drive through line – make dinner without complaining (and tidy the kitchen) – call up an old friend – write a heartfelt letter to someone who you know is hurting – buy your coworker her favorite treat – find a charity and an organization that you can stand behind and support them monthly (and/ or support me in the Walk for Life) – give a hug  

use me then, my Savior, for whatever purposes and in whatever way you may require. here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with your grace. – D.L. Moody