Regularly Replenish

“Mom, are there no granola bars left?”

“Mom, I just brought up the last milk”

“Mom, there’s no more apples.”

“Mom, what can I eat, there’s nothing left?”

As I reached into the cupboard to get a can of tomato soup for lunch, my hand was met with nothing but a space. Oh no, no soup left. Okay how about mac & cheese. Oh, oh. Out of Cheez Whiz. Now what? Quick, think, Sue. What can I make out of 6 sausages, 2 slices of cheese and a can of peaches? I would say we were getting in short supply of a few things.

This is the scenario that is played out in our house the closer it gets to payday. A full cupboard or fridge is in direct correlation to the next payday when I can once again fill up the empty spaces. And the emptier the cupboards get, the more frustration there is when you go to get something you need and there is nothing there. And those with teenagers, and I’ve got three of them, know that no matter how well you plan your shopping trip they will invariably eat up that last bit of something that you were needing for a certain recipe. It can be very frustrating and leave you scrambling. Grocery shopping needs to be done on a regular basis in order for the supplies to stay filled up.

The other day, when I felt very short on patience, I started to think that my spiritual life was like this, too. If I do not go to the Lord with regularity in prayer, reading and study of His word, and worship, my spiritual supplies starts to diminish. And when I go to reach for that love, patience, peace, joy, wisdom or faith, it is in short supply and much too many times, totally gone. And I am left scrambling.

Have you felt frustrated lately, like there was slim pickin’s, like you are living daily with a short supply of love, peace, joy or patience? Or has there been situations where you needed to reach for faith or wisdom and there was nothing there and you had to scramble to make it through? I encourage you to turn to the Lord and fill up, replenish with the things of God regularly so that you may always be filled to overflowing with the things you need to daily walk your Christian walk.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1: 9-11 (NIV)