(Taken from a personal devotional written on May 12, 2008)
Are you empty or full of yourself? Do you want to be used by God? Do you want to experience His movement and be filled with His Love?
His ways are mysterious! His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He can use sinner or saint, the lost or found, believer or nonbeliever for His glory and purpose. He used a donkey to speak to and direct a misguided prophet. He can use anything or anyone. However, I believe He chooses to use those who are empty of themselves.
I have personally experienced Him using my efforts when I was faithless and worked out of worldly confidence, but even more so when I was helpless — yet faithful. His Word shows us that He prefers to use the selfless instead of the haughty. God has intervened in my life when the greater good (His purpose) was more important than my lack of faith. As He leads me through His gift of life, I have come to understand that trusting in my own strength is not faith. It is when we do not know how things are going to turn out, yet we still trust in His control over our lives that demonstrate the measure of our faith. As we let go of our perceptions, our rationalizing, our analyzing, and our questioning and let Him be “Lord God Almighty!” — we move closer to who He wants us to be. It is our own desire to control, manipulate, predict, and solve that creates the distance between us and Him. “It is impossible to please God without faith.” All of us need to let go, empty ourselves, surrender all, and give Him complete control over our lives.
When a church is full of empty glasses, it is full of His spirit. His children come to assemble knowing that He is there, He is alive and moving. He is pouring His love into empty glasses.