Years ago, when I attended the university, I was older in years and married, so I drove back and forth to campus.  Every other day, I found myself parked at a gas station, filling my gas tank with the fuel needed for the next day’s journey.  Now, years later, I am driving again back and forth to another university to teach, in what some might call the last stop on my career journey.  As I do, drive several miles each day, I find myself filling my gas tank every other day with the fuel needed to make the journey.  The other night, my tank was nearly empty, and my sweet husband offered to pump the gasoline for me, putting just a few gallons. in my tank.  It’s much cheaper to purchase in the university town, so the next day, I drove to the more cost-efficient gas station to “top off” my tank.  For most of us, during a week’s time, our vehicles are driven often, carrying us to the places we need to go.  Consider how our vehicles:

• Start on command when we turn the key or push the start button.  &
• Move on command when we shift into drive or shift into first gear and release the clutch (if we are fortunate enough to own a vehicle with a manual transmission).

Despite the number of miles we travel daily or the type of vehicle we have chosen to drive, one fact remains—WITHOUT FUEL, OUR VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE.

In similar fashion, those individuals who have given their hearts to Jesus are similar, for—WITHOUT BIBLE STUDY, OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH WILL BE STIFLED.

In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote the biblical letter to those living in Colossae.  For the longest time, this letter remained unread (by me), and in fact, when I was a new believer, I could not even find this letter sandwiched between Paul’s letter to those living in Philippi and his first letter to the church of  Thessalonica.  As I have ‘grown-up’ in the Lord, this letter to the Colossians reveals much treasure about how we are to put on the new self and to “be filled” with the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote:

As the church, Are We Attempting to Live Spiritually Empty?

• Are we living one way out in public but living differently when at home, cloistered behind closed doors?
• Do we appear one way out in public but project ourselves in another way when at home?
• How are we doing with our Bible study time?
• Could our prayer time use a tune-up so it’s a stronger part of our days?

These are just some of the spiritual disciplines that the apostle Paul discussed when he wrote his letter to the believers living in Colossae.  Paul spoke how they were to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  How are we doing with this today?  Paul also wrote that the believers were to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness, in His peace, in His truth and in His grace.  This means the one who acts “rightly” will flourish because of his personal relationship with the Lord.

• We will act “rightly.”
• We will think “right” thoughts and stop those that are not.
• We will move in the “right” direction, following God’s will for our lives. &
• We will be fruitful, bearing the “right” fruit of God’s Holy Spirit, as we are clothed in His righteousness, in His peace, in His truth and His grace.

Truthfully, there is only one single way this type of “right” living can ever be possible, and Paul explained how when he wrote—“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, . . .”  Separating time from our day to BE IN GOD’S WORD, to “fuel up” our heart, to “top off” our spiritual tank is necessary if we wish to LIVE SPIRITUALLY FILLED.  This requires obedience, a word that we often dislike.  However, let us see the TRUTH found in God’s Holy Word.