Day 5: Emptied to Be Filled
Reading: Luke 9:23
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Footnotes
[a] Ephesians 3:15 The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).
Reading: John 15:4-5
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
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Devotional:
A church filled with people but not filled with Christ is not truly a church at all. It is simply a gathering. The same is true of an individual life. You can be surrounded by religious activity, attend every service, sing every song, and still be full of yourself with no room for Christ. Jesus was direct: following him requires giving up your own way. Emptying yourself is not a one-time event. It is a daily surrender, a continual releasing of your agenda, your preferences, and your pride so that he can fill you completely. A life emptied of self and filled with Christ is the life you were created to live.
What are you holding onto that is taking up space that belongs to Christ?
Begin each morning this week by consciously surrendering your plans for the day to God before you make any decisions. Ask him to lead and fill you before you step into your responsibilities.
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Footnotes
[a] Ephesians 3:15 The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).
Reading: John 15:4-5
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devotional:
A church filled with people but not filled with Christ is not truly a church at all. It is simply a gathering. The same is true of an individual life. You can be surrounded by religious activity, attend every service, sing every song, and still be full of yourself with no room for Christ. Jesus was direct: following him requires giving up your own way. Emptying yourself is not a one-time event. It is a daily surrender, a continual releasing of your agenda, your preferences, and your pride so that he can fill you completely. A life emptied of self and filled with Christ is the life you were created to live.
What are you holding onto that is taking up space that belongs to Christ?
Begin each morning this week by consciously surrendering your plans for the day to God before you make any decisions. Ask him to lead and fill you before you step into your responsibilities.
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3 Comments
The daily surrender part is hard for me for sure. Knowing that a walk with Christ is something you have to surrender your self to is hard. It’s easy to get caught up in “normal routine” and forget to see what God really wants from you from day to day.
The word that gets me is “daily.” I want to obey, become, change, improve ONCE and be done with it. I want to check holiness, off my list and say, “I have achieved it, what’s next?” But we are born into sin and we have to deny ourselves every day. Daily. Daily I have to forgive, to put no other idols before my God, choose kindness, choose not to hold onto bitterness, anger or judgement… Daily. This life is a battle. And our God empowers us, but the struggle is still real.
Dear Lord Jesus,
nThank you for another day to serve You! What a privilege to know You love me so much that You value my relationship with You. As I surrender my priorities to You this day, fill me with Your sweet presence, increase my desire to grow in Your grace, wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for the privilege to know You and to serve You. Thank You for the opportunity to help advance Your kingdom. Each day with You becomes sweeter than the day before. Thank you for cleansing my past with Your redeeming blood. May I redeem the time, making every opportunity You give to me this day, count for You, for Your glory. Thank You for Your abiding presence. In Jesus precious Name. Amen.