The Overflow

On Wednesday night our discipleship class is studying "Getting a Grip on the Basics of Serving God" by Beth Jones. Last week our focus was week 8, How to be an Asset to your Local Church and God's Kingdom.

A comment from the book jumped out at me. It said "Everything about fruitful service to God comes from the overflow of your prayer and Word life with God." (Pg 84)

I immediately pictured a cup that represents our individual life.

At the bottom of the cup was an object, the thing we so desperately want God to do - the loved one that needs Christ, the disease or illness that needs healing, the financial burdens that need lifting, the deepest desire of our heart.

As we pray, read God's Word, and worship Him our cup fills up with the fruit that comes in a deep relationship with Him and our service to the Kingdom.

As it fills, the desire of our heart rises and then overflows into being - not because we "wished hard enough", not because we were "good enough" but because out of relationship with God, the fruit of our life speaks so loudly that the desires of our heart flow naturally. Our cup is so full it spills out into the lives of others changing them also from the inside out.

As more Christians walk in the fruitful service to God, more cups overflow. Collectively, we have the ability to bring a tidal wave from our personal overflow that washes over the needs of this world.