What Fills You Up?

“What Fills You Up?”

By Zach Wood

Romans 15:13 (NLT)

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you like to be filled up?  We all do.  When we eat, we like to have our fill of great food.  When we go to the gas station, we fill our tanks.  When we put water into a bottle, we put ice in and fill it to the top water.  If we go shopping somewhere and take advantage of a fill-a-bag deal for one low price, we sure put as much stuff in as we can.

When we have opportunities to fill up, we take advantage of it!  We want to be filled in many different ways.  It’s not always about tangible things, however.  We also like to be filled with encouragement.  We like to be filled with love from other people.  We like to be filled with compliments. 

No matter what we like to be filled with, there is absolutely nothing that should be more fulfilling than what God fills us up with.  He fills us with joy and peace and hope.  This is a joy, peace and hope that the world cannot give us. Paul was emphatic about encouraging people to be filled with God’s presence and hope.  He knew there was nothing more important than what God fills our lives with. 

What are we filled up with these days?  Are we longing, as Paul did, to be filled with God’s ultimate joy, hope and peace?  Are we constantly after only what God can give us or are we chasing everything else in the world trying to find that fulfillment?  If we’re honest, most of us would admit that we often chase and want to be filled with what the world offers because it’s immediate and enjoyable……for a time. 

I am reminded everyday that God is my only source of true fulfillment.  It’s amazing all the ways He reminds us of how much I need Him.  We truly do need Him.  Are we being filled by Him?  What fills us up?