WONDER
PART 2: “FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY”
- “FILL YOU”
This simple and short phrase speaks to me of:
“what you need to power you – to keep you going”
- Petrol filling a car
- Food filling a stomach
- “The Filling Station” providing spiritual sustenance in rural areas
To me “fill” speaks of “to the very top” – not “half full” which is “half empty”, but “full right up to the brim!”
This indeed is what the Greek word used here for “fill” – “pleroo” means – it means “full up”. When I take a jug and pour water into a glass I am filling that glass, but it is not full until it reaches the top
And that is what I want when it comes to joy and peace. I want to be so full of them that there is no empty part of my life that feels joyless and fearful. And this is the promise of God for us at this time!
Therefore, it is ESSENTIAL that I am filled with Hope and Peace
How do I get this filling? I must “trust in Him”
How am I filled? “By the power of the Holy Spirit”
Oh! And by the way, the little word “you” is the Greek word “hymeis” which is the plural-you. So, Paul is promising that ALL OF YOU shall be filled with joy and peace as you trust in Him. It is not just for one or some – it is for ALL.
- “WITH ALL JOY”
The Greek word translated “joy” is “chara” – the same word from which we get “charismatic” – this is a divine joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, a supernatural joy, one that is not dependent on circumstances. It is a God-given joy that is not the same as happiness. Happiness comes when things are going well for us and when the sun is shining. But when things are difficult and the weather is miserable then we are not happy. This God-given joy is there no matter what life is throwing at us.
Oh! I want this joy!
This is the joy that Paul and Silas had when they were singing songs of worship to God in the innermost cell of a disgusting Roman jail. It is a joy that makes no human sense at all.
Oh! I want this joy!
This Christmas time, with the world miserable in the crisis of pandemic, let us embrace this promise of JOY!