Directing the [Over]Flow

Sunday morning retuning: How’s your elbow? Your 90 degree PVC elbow that is? Are you praying about how God would want you to redirect a portion of your extra? Please do. You will be glad you did every time you hear a report from our missionaries.

Dear Worshipers,

Pastor Myron’s excellent illustration Sunday really got me thinking. There is a great system in place to pipe support to our 700+ international workers around the world. And it is easy to tap into that pipeline and thus become an integral part of what God is doing.

But we must be careful as we begin to reflect on how we can get involved or more involved, that God is the Source. He simply gives us the opportunity to direct the flow of all He floods into my life. What an incredible blessing that is. To be, as one hymn writer put it, a “channel of blessing.”

In this ministry we share, we do that same thing. God is the Source of our talent and passion and we simply get to direct that toward Him and His people. It is a sacred trust we have been given. May we always cherish it, and be quick to examine our hearts when our directing is tainted in any way.

As I reflected on this I was reminded of a thought I had years ago about this idea of being a channel. We are learning to ask God to fill us everyday with His Holy Spirit. [Eph. 5:18b] Out of the fullness of Him, we are empowered to bless others. There is a real sense in which though God does channel His blessings through us, we are really more of a reservoir than a channel.

This thought occurred to me years ago as I drove by a retaining pond. There was a pipe sticking up above the surface of the water, as well as a drain on one end. Obviously, when the pond was full, the overflow would be channeled through that pipe or drain. That is similar to what happens to us. As we are filled, God overflows and blesses others.

We must be careful to seek that fullness so that we do not serve, give, pray, etc. from another other position, ie. emptiness. Let’s be quick to guard our hearts so that our love for Christ, in all its fullness, would be the sole motivating factor for all we do. I am praying for you to that end.

Jesus, fill us so that we can be reservoirs of blessings to those around us and even to the end of the world. We want to see You at work in our lives, flowing through us. We are desperate for You to do this because we can not do it for ourselves.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy