“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” - Ephesians 5:18
I have a pair of gloves that I use when I work outside. Whether I am mowing grass, cutting weeds or moving items, I use these gloves. They are unimpressive to look at. They are not very valuable. Yet I use them often.
Do you want to be useful in God's work? Do you long for the Lord to use you to impact the lives of others? I think there are some lessons we need to learn from my old work gloves.
First of all, my pair of work gloves are rather useless on their own. My gloves can't do anything by themselves. It would be nice if my gloves could mow the yard without my involvement, but they can't do that. As an independent object, gloves are powerless. The same can said of us. Although this is contrary to our human reasoning and pride, we are unable to do anything of significance on our own. Jesus said, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” Like a pair of gloves, we are useless on our own.
Secondly, a pair of gloves are only useful when they are filled with competent hands. We are only useful when we are filled with the Lord. That's why Paul wrote, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” We need a divine filling if we wish to be useful in God's work. Gloves can be filled with the wrong things. Dirt can fill up a glove, but what does that accomplish? Water can fill gloves, but this can ruin certain gloves. If a glove is to be used properly, a competent hand must fill it and use it.
The same thing is true of our lives. Yes, you can be filled with drugs or alcohol, but these will lead to death. You can be stuffed with food, but this is ultimately unhealthy. Some have been possessed by demons and became dangerously violent. Rather than being filled with sin, we need to be saved and filled with the Spirit. When the Lord fills a person's life, he or she is fit for service.
I once owned a vehicle that had a gas pedal that would occasionally get stuck in the accelerated position. To say the least, this was a dangerous thing. When you cannot control an automobile, it is unreliable. The same thing is true of our lives. As long as we are in control, dangerous things can happen. If God is in control, He will lead us on the right path. A carpenter will use the tools that can easily accomplish what he wants. In a similar manner, our Lord uses those who are surrendered and led by Him.
If you want to be used by the Lord, you must be saved and surrendered. The filling of the Spirit is for our employment rather than our enjoyment.
Of course, when a job is completed, no one ever praises the gloves. Instead, praise always goes to the man with the competent hands who wore the gloves. If anything good work is accomplished through my life, only the Lord should receive the praise. He is the competent One, not me.
Still, I am thankful that God still uses people like me. We don't have to be rich, or have numerous college degrees to be used by God. He uses common folk like us. As Paul wrote, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” God typically uses people who are devoted to Him, obey Him and humble enough to give all the praise to Him.
Are you such a person?
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