Empty Out. Fill Up.
1 Peter 2:1–3
2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Yesterday at church, I asked you to consider the question: What does God want you to do with your life?
Maybe you’ve spent a ton of time thinking about that before. Maybe you only started thinking about your life plan in that way recently. Or maybe yesterday at church—or as you’re reading this—is the first time!
Don’t panic!! You don’t need to have a 10-year plan by the end of today.
In fact, the specifics of what God has us do with our lives—the opportunities, blessings, and challenges He gives us—will all be at least a little different, and often very different! But we all need to start in the same place:
Emptying ourselves of as much sin as we can and filling ourselves up with the Word of God.
It’s a simple sentence and easy to remember: empty out sin, fill up with God’s Word.
But it is so much harder in practice.
Why is it so hard for us, though? I think there are a few reasons we need to be aware of.
First, we need to have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Peter isn’t casting doubt on the salvation of his readers; he’s calling them to actively remember the grace and kindness God has shown them.
I’ve asked many people who have been genuinely happily married for an extended period what the biggest predictors of success are, and I have studied some of the data in my counseling classes in seminary. Practicing intentional gratitude is one of the highest predictors of the long-term success of any relationship. Taking the time and energy to notice and appreciate what the other person is doing is key.
It’s the same for our relationship with God.
If you want to long for God’s Word and for time in His presence, practice gratitude in prayer. Write down lists. Actively notice what God has given you and what He is doing in your life.
Second, be aware that sin’s most dangerous consequence is drawing you away from God.
Not any earthly consequence. Not even the damage it can do to human relationships.
While those consequences are painful, the most dangerous damage sin does is pulling us away from God—either by convincing us we’re not doing something “that” bad or by convincing us that God won’t or can’t forgive us for what we’ve done.
However it looks for you, you must be wary of how sin is trying to pull you away from God’s presence instead of running toward Him.
If we practice intentional gratitude for everything God has done and is doing in our lives, and we run toward God when we sin instead of away from Him, we will grow in our longing for His Word and His presence.
And those are the things that bring life and spiritual growth faster than anything else.
