FULL !!!

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
                                                 -Colossians 2:2-3

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
                                                 -Romans 15:13

Well, another Thanksgiving is in the books, and the Christmas season is upon us.  A friend posted on Facebook to remind us that not everyone has a happy holiday surrounded by family, love, and joy.  Good to remember that.  My Thanksgiving was very different than usual this year.  For the first time in 63 years, my mom wasn't there to take care of almost everything.  We missed her.  Between my sister and I  we managed to get everything ready for 23 people, and we did have a good day.  I know, however, that not everyone was so fortunate.

As the cliché goes, we were pretty full when dinner was over.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, crock pot corn, sweet green beans, beer bread.....the list goes on and on.  And I think we had 4 desserts.  No one could say they could not get their fill at that table. Thanksgiving is usually the holiday we talk about 'getting our fill' or being completely stuffed after that large meal.

I have been reading Colossians lately.  It is a great book.....you should read it a few times.  Not just once, a few.  The study I am doing now encouraged me to look for all the references to 'fill', 'full', or 'fullness' in this book.  Here's what I found:
  • 1:9- Asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  • 1:24 - Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions
  • 1:25 - I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness
  • 2:2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ
  • 2:9-10  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ who is  head over every power and authority
The definition of full is given as:
           containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space: not lacking or omitting anything, complete

I thought a lot about these verses, and I searched other uses of the word full in scripture.  I wonder.....how many of us, while Christians all along, still feel empty?  How often do we look for ways to "fill" our lives with things that will make us feel better?  Wow.   I think about ways I have tried and still try to "fill" myself.......food, alcohol, busyness, 'stuff''.....I bet you can add to this list as well.  Anytime we do something too much, I think it is an attempt to fill something in our souls we feel is empty.  And yet, when we use these methods, the "filling" goes away, and we have to go back and try it again.  Many of us spend a great deal of our time looking to fill that emptiness.

And yet, scripture gives us many many promises on how to be filled.....authentically filled, completely filled, and permanently filled.  Here's another one I really like:

"You have made known to me the paths of life...you will fill me with joy in your presence."
                             - Acts 2:28

Isn't that what we search for?  Bottom line.....isn't joy what we're after?  And yet this verse from Acts....and many others in scripture.....promise us that we can be filled with joy through Him.  Not happiness necessarily.....that is a whole other blog.......  but deep abiding joy.  Full.  Permanently.

I don't know why we continue to not take Him up on His promises.  We know they are true, we know they "work", we know we can count on what He says.  Yet time after time, we 'forget' what we have in Him.... the comfort, security, peace, and joy that can FILL us every day.

So the next time you get that gnawing, empty feeling, head for the WORD.  Look up the words full, fill, and fullness in your Bible.  Contemplate on what He's promising.  Let's try to stay FULL, instead of being hungry all the time.  There is a Way.


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