DO NOT STAY EMPTY
DO NOT STAY EMPTY
Have you ever wondered why a vulture and a hummingbird can fly over the same field and one will see dead, rotting animals and the other will see flowers? It is because of what they are looking for. When people always see what is wrong with the church, what is wrong in families, and what is wrong in the city in which they live, the problem may well be what they are looking for instead of what is there. Of course, there is evil in the world, but you do not have to fill your heart and mind with it. When we fill our lives with light, it not only leaves no room for darkness, it also becomes a beacon to others that they might see God through us.
Getting sin out of our lives is never enough. Jesus said, We can get rid of sin from our lives at any time. Most of us make fresh resolves all through our lives to quit some sin or failure that haunts us. The smoker may quit smoking several times every year. It is not hard to quit; it is just hard to stay that way. The person caught up in pornography makes fresh resolves to stop this way of life often, but he returns to the filth all over again. The individual who is involved in sexual immorality, if he has an interest in being moral at all, will decide to quit many times; but somehow staying away from it is a bigger challenge.
Why is it so hard to change? Why can we not quit the evil for the good? The answer lies in this simple story Jesus told. First, the sinful habits have a hold on us. We quit the habits all right, but they always come back to see if we will take them back again. Second, they will return if we have not replaced the evil with positive action, thought, and work for good. Too often we have been satisfied with the effort to stop some habit that is bad, but have not filled our lives with God or His Spirit. Paul pleaded with Christians to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Third, when evil habits are resumed, it becomes harder each time to get rid of them. When the unclean spirit returned, he brought with him seven demons more wicked than himself. The last state was worse than the first. The answer is to fill our lives with God. Let God be as light shining in us to the degree that sin cannot find a dark hole in which to hide (1 John 1:5-10).
To fill your life with God, you must be in the habit of listening to His Word and keeping His commands. If we want to fill our lives with God, we must stop seeking for signs and wonders. Religion built on the fantastic will never be stable. When one sign was given by Jesus, it had to be followed by another bigger and better sign for some people to keep following Him. Jesus declared, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah” (11:29). Any believer who based his/her life on seeking signs and wonders will be lost among the crowd. We should humbly bow at Jesus’ feet through the study of His revealed message and apply every word instead of longing for some show-stopping sign today.
Word Affirmation: “Have mercy upon me, O LORD." - Psalm 9:13 (Don't just say it, mean it!)
“Religion built on the fantastic will never be stable."
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