In the Kingdom of God things are measured and accounted for differently than they are in the ‘natural’.
In the natural, the more things you hold onto the more you retain. But in the Kingdom, the more you give away what you have, the more you get in return.
When I hear the expression that someone is full of the Holy Spirit, my mind often creates an image of a tall glass or jug that is so full of liquid that it can’t be picked up without spilling. When I was a kid, I remember testing my skills at seeing how much milk I could pour into a glass without it spilling over. This usually ended up with me cleaning up spills after being reminded by my mother of the waste and mess caused by my experiments.
When we think of being ‘full’ after eating a big meal the meaning behind what we’re saying is that we need to stop eating or we’ll make ourselves sick.
When I put fuel into my car to fill up the tank I want to be careful to stop when the tank is full or the fuel will splash out of the tank and be wasted.
In these examples fullness always has a limit. Fullness usually stops short of being completely full, because if it exceeds the limits of the container there are negative consequences. To cater for this, most containers are now manufactured with a safe “fill-level” so the contents of the container do not come into risk of damage, waste or cause the container to become over pressurised.
How much of this type of thinking has affected the way I understand what it means to be full of Holy Spirit? Do I unconsciously put limits on what it means to be filled with Holy Spirit? Do I somehow put restrictions on Holy Spirit and reduce the fill-level that can be achieved within me?
The Bible doesn’t seem concerned with the concept of over-filling, but refers to fullness in an unlimited way. For instance, Jesus came to give life in abundance (Jn 10.10). But what does this abundance look like? How do we move from a mind-set of restriction to a mind-set of potential and abundant provision?
But the Bible takes the idea of abundance a step further. In Luke 6, Jesus speaks of the overflow that we receive when we obey his teaching and ‘give away’ what we’ve learned.
Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down shaken together and overflowing will be poured onto your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6.38).
The context is in reference to our willingness to forgive others and in doing so, we will receive mercy. But understood within the concept of overflow we begin to see that God is revealing to us a principle of his Kingdom: The more we give what God has given us, the more he gives us in return (Mk 10.29-30).
When we wisely use what God has given, he rewards us with an astounding level of increased blessing and responsibility (Lk 19.17).
When we choose to seek first His Kingdom and his righteousness, even to the extent of forsaking deep, personal and emotional ties, we will receive a multiple benefits of his Kingdom in this life.
God’s generous nature and willingness to be extravagant is shown in numerous examples throughout Scripture. When God gives, he does so with extreme generosity. When he gives, he watches to see how we will put his gifts to use – and he is ready to give even more as we do.
So, when I think of being full of Holy Spirit, I’m learning not to think in terms of restriction. I’m learning to believe that fullness of Holy Spirit is measured by the overflow. How much of Holy Spirit am I able to contain? Well, that depends on how much of Holy Spirit I am able to give away.
If I give love and peace to others – even those who are not extending love and peace to me – the promise is that God will fill me with an even greater experience of his love and peace. If I am kind and gentle to others, the promise is that God will give me an increase in kindness and gentleness. This regular flow of the characteristics of God’s nature alters my own make up, transforming my character so that, through my participation with him, I am being changed into his likeness.
If I am regularly pursuing him for the infilling of his Spirit, then I have more of him to give away. The more I give of what he’s given me, the more he continues to give – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing being poured into my lap.
Sean Copeland 01/Nov/15