John 2: 7
“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.”
The servants in this story are confronted with a unique problem. Mary has told them to do whatever Jesus tells them. She could have said, “Go and ask the master of the house if it would be okay for Jesus to help out here,” but she didn’t. She simply gave them a direct instruction, “Do whatever he tells you.”
The instructions Jesus gave them must not have made any sense. After all, how would putting water in the jugs help with the wine situation? Didn’t they have other things that they needed to be doing? Yet these must have been very good servants because they not only filled the jugs with water (a lot of work in those days!) but they “filled them to the brim.”
Q: In your life as a Christian, how far do you fill the jars of our lives? When Jesus says we should love our neighbor as ourselves, do we do just enough to get by, or do we fill the jar to the brim?
I could plead the 5th, however the truth is, I’m a better example of Paul than Christ. I am constantly doing what I should not do and not doing what i should.
My own will has really lost its power in many ways, but it is still too strong to perform any command to the brim.
Hi Ron,
Today’s question is more rhetorical than our usual question. You are spot on, though. We all would have to plead the 5th in this department I’d guess. Of course this being Memorial Day weekend, we reflect on the thousands and thousands of men and women who have given their lives in defense of our freedoms. You might say they have filled the jar to the brim with their lives. Certainly their service to God and Country is appreciated, as is yours my friend.
Great point Jeff. They filled the jar to the brim.
As I still have a lot to learn about filling up this earthen vessel,..however much this vessel gets filled I should be emptying myself and giving God this glory that He has filled me with on a continual basis. His love has overflown into my life through the blood of Jesus that is is sooo indescribable yet sooo fulfilling. It’s because of this walk I have with Jesus that I have been married to my neighbor (wife) for 29+ years now,..what a blessing that is! God has given us sooo many principles through His word that we should be applying to our lives and these principles have promises connected with them. It’s all about application I believe,..Jesus has set the example for us to live by. He has taught us through His transforming message of His life and resurrection and this has filled me with a joy that I continue to seek the opportunity to glorify Jesus just by saying His name to some other person,..He has pressed me down, shaken me and overflows His love to me that I have so much that I can not contain what He provides and I have to share with others. Yeah,..everyday is different but one thing for sure Immanuel Jesus is always there with me and I am blessed to be one of His chosen. Keep smiling!
Great thoughts here. And Jeff – quite the intriguing question! If I think about how God has filled my jar to the brim, I am overwhelmed by His provision, kindness, grace, mercy and love. He lavishes me with everything I need to live for Him. In that sense, I am filled to the full. I realize I do not reciprocate as well as I should by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit in my relationship with others. I can be rather selfish in sharing what He has lavished upon me. But the responses above and the question above helps me focus on the prize and encourages me to not just get by, but fill others to the brim.
A very self-reflective question today! I have two thought generated by this question: am I open to God filling my cup to the brim, and am I open to redistributing that love to the brim? I find sometimes in my life that I look for things to be upset about, small battles that are truly meaningless when measured by the ruler of eternity, but I fight with vigor because it gives me a feeling that I am “winning.” This isn’t loving, but rather holding onto self. The Bible tells us what love looks like:
Ephesians 4:2; “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
1 Peter 4: 8; “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Romans 12:9; “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
1 Corinthians 13:2; “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
1 John 4:16; “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
John 15:12; “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
1 Corinthians 13:13; “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Romans 12:10; “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
1 John 4:20; “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
1 John 4:12; “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Chris,
“Winning” vs “Loving.” Interesting contrast!
Winning is definitely about being “on top.” To “Win” is to be ahead of everyone else. In that sense, Christianity is for the losers. For all of the people who realize that we can never “win” in the sense of always being on top. Only God has the power to command that position, and yet He shows us his love by becoming a man who allows himself to be crucified; sacrificed for our salvation.
It is through faith in Christ that we “losers” win. It is through our faith in Christ that he fills us to the brim. It is His love that pours out and fills the lives of others.