#Overflow by: Julie Wicker
Our word for this week has been Overflow, which means to be so full that the contents go over or extend above the sides. When God gave me this word, I had His Holy Spirit in mind. The scripture that comes to mind is from Romans 8:11, “The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same Spirit living within you.”
Do you ever have a problem with your Wi-Fi connectivity at home? When that happens, we feel so disconnected from everything. We have become so dependent on the internet that we can’t function. Even most of my devotionals are received via email. Many times, I use my bible app before I will open my paper bible. It amazes me that we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us yet somehow, we have the capability to lose our connection with God just like we lose our Wi-Fi connectivity. Our human thoughts and desires tend to trump Gods voice.
When studying the bible to find scriptures related to my word, I came across 2 Cor 4:15 “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” So, as my family is going through this season of cancer with my Dad, my peace has come from the Joy I find in Christ Jesus. My daily prayer has been for God to get the glory out of Dad’s story. And doesn’t God faithfully bring us blessings through our trials.
As I started reading the surrounding scriptures and found this treasure in verses 7-9; “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” I stand amazed as we are in the middle of lent, in the middle of the wilderness, getting ready to experience the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. His pain, His joy is our pain and our joy. We are no exception to the cross. Our pain and our joy have a purpose. I am so thankful we have a heavenly prize to journey towards. I hear my mom say all the time that she is so sad for the people that experience cancer and don’t have Christ in their hearts to turn to.
Moving on through verses 10-14; “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: “I believed; therefore, I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.” So here we go again, just as we read in Romans 8 verse 11, that same Spirit is living in you and I.
We all tend to use our data or our Wi-Fi to reach out to Siri or google, or even a friend or family member to understand our pain and our joys before taking them to God. It is crazy to think because He is the closest to us. When we experience the trials, it is so easy to lose heart and to just be broken. And that is ok, we are all human, and we are all broken. Even Jesus cried out to His father on the cross and said, “why have you forsaken me”. We are all like jars of clay.
Good news, no story is wasted! Moving on past verse 15 into verses 16 – 18; “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Those of us that are in the wilderness, don’t loose heart. Ask God to use His Holy Sprit to overwhelm your soul today so that you are overflowing with His HOPE, JOY, & PEACE.
Who will you be connecting to today, your Wi-Fi or the Holy Spirit?
Water Walkers 