Begin Empty

Things we do to our car before a road trip – rotate the tires, change the oil, wash & vacuum, fill the tank with gas.  And, if you're traveling with Mr. Bill, you pack the latest - greatest - biggest atlas you can find.  Yes, GPS or no GPS! God wants empty vessels.  Contrary to personal opinion, being full-of-myself makes me of very little use to God.  He needs me to be at a self-poverty level so He can work in-and-through me to accomplish His work.  Just like it's impossible to put gas in an already-full tank, I cannot be filled with God's Spirit when I present myself for service already full of my agenda, my plans, and my purpose.  The New Testament tells us Jesus chose twelve men (Luke 18:31) who appeared to lack the qualities necessary to serve yet God made them into His ministers of The Gospel.  Oswald Chambers writes, "The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship."  More than anything we think we have to offer, God needs our emptiness.  Then He will fill us with all He needs to make us useful to Him each day.  Do today God's Way – begin empty!