Shake Off the Dust and Stay Filled Up
Alright, now, friend, how about it? Why don’t you just come right on up here on this front porch and ease yourself into that ol’ rocking chair that creaks louder than a cranky bullfrog that stayed up too late. Go on and shoo that nosy ol’ mosquito off your knee, too, because we’re gonna step into a truth so rich it could put to shame a warm, fresh-baked peach pie with a glob of vanilla ice cream on top. Acts 13:52 says, “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” And to deepen this truth even more, let’s look Romans 15:13, which tell us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” Now, friend, that pairing is like discovering the like a lanky goat that has been slipping off to learn breakdancing in the hayloft. It plum changes the whole situation.
Earlier this year up in Michigan, the North Shore Police Department warned folks that somebody was tossin’ some caltrops right onto the highway. Those little tire-popping doodads will flatten a car tire faster than a spooked lil’ possum can climb a tree. And as we all know, a flat tire is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Tires plum need air. They plum need to stay filled.
Well, friend, the devil tosses spiritual caltrops right on in our path every doggone chance he gets. He wants to deflate us, drain us, and leave us sittin’ right on the shoulder of life feelin’ mighty stranded. But Acts 13:52 reminds us that the disciples were filled up with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Filled up, not flattened. Lifted up, not deflated. And Romans 15:13 tells us that God Himself fills us with joy and peace. That there ain’t no spiritual patchwork. That there’s divine inflation.
When you’re filled with the Spirit, your life plum changes for the better. You get a special song in your heart even when the ol’ rooster is crowin’ at the wrong hour of the day. You find thanksgiving bubblin’ right on up into your personality like a runnin’ creek after a good rain. You feel a big ol’ yearnin’ to bless others, even the ones that act like a grumpy lil’ ol’ goat that plum missed breakfast. And you get a contagious motivation to share God’s Word, just like it’s described in Acts 4:31.
So, think about it, friend, you gotta be lettin’ the Holy Spirit guide your steps. Open your life fully to Jesus, and ask Him to keep you fully inflated, lifted, and filled up with His presence today. The Spirit filled life ain’t the deluxe edition of Christianity. It’s God’s real good plan for every believer.
Father, fill me with Your Spirit today. Keep me from the caltrops the enemy throws in my path. Give me joy, peace, strength, and a heart that overflows with Your presence. Help me stay filled, not flattened. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now friend, as you start thinkin’ about easin’ off this porch and headin’ on back to the chores of your day, tuck this truth deep in your heart that life will try its best to poke holes in your joy, but the Spirit fills you right back up like a strong wind swelling the sails of a boat that thought it was stuck in still water. The Spirit steadies you the way a quiet mountain lake settles after a wild wind makin’ it calm and clear enough for you to see your own reflection again. He strengthens you like sunlight breakin’ through thick morning fog until everything around you starts glowing with fresh possibility. He lifts you like a hawk catchin’ a warm updraft, risin’ higher than you ever could by flappin’ your own tired wings. And He reminds you that you were never made to sputter along on empty but to live filled, fueled, and overflowin’ with His goodness. So, let the Spirit carry you forward with a strength that keeps you movin’ sure and steady on the beautiful road of faith, no matter how bumpy the trail gets.
With joy,
Gwen
