Filled to the Brim

Rev. Tim Travers

May 5, 2025

Reading

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 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, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

Reflection

Many of us have grown accustomed to lives filled with appointments, obligations, goals, and to-do lists. Honestly, if we didn’t approach life in an organized way, we might fail to attend to important matters. But let’s face it—if we only focus on what we can get done each day, we’re likely to end up drained rather than invigorated. We soon learn that being worn thin—physically, emotionally, or professionally—makes it difficult to fully experience the joy of serving in God’s great Kingdom.

It’s no wonder that one phrase used by mature Christian leaders through the centuries is “resting in God.” Resting in God means allowing ourselves the blessing of being filled with the presence of the Lord. This kind of spiritual fulfillment is key to experiencing peace, contentment, and a sense of wholeness. It’s not about achieving as much as it is about receiving.

It’s tempting to look at how much we accomplish and use that as a metric for how well we’re living. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking that my paramount goal each day is simply to be filled with God’s love—not to fill up every nook and cranny of my calendar. If I begin with experiencing God’s love—and take time for God to remind me that such love is always with me—then I can serve God and others with my whole self and with a loving heart.

Part of the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesus was that they “may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” I’m finding that it’s quite freeing to begin my day with this simple prayer: “Lord, fill me up with your love.” At first, that might sound self-serving, but I’ve come to believe it’s quite the opposite. When I begin my day by receiving God’s love, I become more open to Christ shaping me into the person Christ calls me to be. As Paul writes, I pray that I will be “rooted and established in love.”

In God’s Kingdom, it’s a beautiful thing to be active—reaching people and doing good. But unless our actions and outreach are filled with love, there’s no point in them at all. Christ calls us to bear good fruit; and if we’re to bear fruit, we must regularly set aside our to-do lists long enough to receive the incredible gift of knowing, deep in our soul, that we are supremely loved by God. Ultimately, it’s not about what we can do or what we know—it’s about being cherished and adored by God, and learning how to cherish and adore God in return.

Prayer:
Almighty God, fill me up with your love today. Fill me to the brim and let me overflow. Let that love dwell in my heart through faith. Help me understand more fully that your love is deep and full and forever. Show me how to be a person of that kind of love. Amen.