Why Empty Your Vessels?
by Rick Cross
Before going to see with my own eyes I was skeptical of the problem in Africa and now I lack the vocabulary to truly explain what I have seen. The catastrophic complications and poverty I have witnessed is unbelievable, but what is even more unexplainable is the way I have seen God work among these children who have nothing of material value. These children lack no faith! These kids are truly the most thankful human beings I have ever met.
In the Bible there is a story about a widow whose husband served the Lord. When her husband died a creditor was on his way to take her two sons to be his slaves. She went to the prophet Elisha that her husband served and asked him, “What shall I do?” Elisha asked, “What do you have in your house? And she said, “I have nothing in the house but one jar of oil.” Elisha then said, “Go borrow from all of your neighbors, empty vessels, do not just gather a few but many.” So she gathered all the empty vessels she could find and asked what shall I do with these empty vessels? Elisha instructed her to take the jar of oil and fill the vessels until there were no more to fill. So she filled all the vessels until she asked of her sons to bring another vessel and they replied, “There are no more vessels.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told Elisha and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
This biblical story about how God filled the empty vessels is compelling for two reasons. When asked what she had in her house she replied nothing…oh by the way I have a single jar of oil. She had all she ever needed the whole time, it was God. She had God in her house. She was the empty vessel broke without a dime and God is the oil that fills the vessel. While God represents the oil in that story, we represent the vessels. Ask yourself, “Am I an EMPTY VESSEL?”
God loves empty vessels. God uses empty vessels! Full vessels are usually filled with too much stuff, too many worries, and become distracted with things that are not what God intends for us. As Americans we fill our vessels daily with religion, money, worries, rent, bills, soccer practices, you fill in the blank. As we fill our vessels we Americans leave no place for God to pour out his oil into our lives. I can attest that the kids that broke my heart in Africa are completely empty, and are so much closer to God because they rely solely on Him to fill them daily with hope of a new tomorrow. I am seeing more clearly now that the more I empty my vessel the more God fills it with life. Please help me empty our vessels so we can give God the room he needs to use our lives for what he intended. We all have strengths and talents and each of us have a part to play in this big picture. If we can make more room, he will fill the voids; it says so in his word.
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