Rounding Up Jars

“We can’t quite round up enough containers to hold everything God pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 5:5 MSG)

God has more love for us that our frames can contain.

Let that powerful thought settle in to your soul for a moment. As much as we can experience, bear, remember and wear, God’s love far exceeds it.

Here’s the exciting part though: we can grow our capacity to hold and consequently our potential to offer extravagant love to others. The Holy Spirit is our helper; pouring out God’s love and equipping us with His power.

Remember the widow and her oil, in the 2 Kings account with Elijah. She had nothing left but a bit of oil. She was about to sell her sons to the creditors. Recognize that this is the broken, bankrupt, desperate state by which we each come to Christ: fractured, empty and deeply in debt.

The prophet tells her to gather as many jars as she can, the oil is about to flow. I’ve always wondered about this widow and what was going on in her head as she and her sons went out on the town to gather containers. How silly or hopeful did she feel as she went begging to borrow jars? Her community was surely aware of her destitution, did they wonder what she was up to? Perhaps they took pity, maybe they thought she was starting a second hand jar store, an ancient pottery barn of sorts. How many jars did she gather? Did it feel futile? Was she embarrassed? Did she only go to her friends or did she ply the whole neighborhood for their empty stoneware?

What I know for sure is that she did not waste one moment in pottery retrieval. When she went home, the oil was flowing and every jar was filled. Her effort was rewarded with fullness. By the end of the day, her family was whole, her debts were paid and her future was provided for.

What can we learn from the widow’s oil?

Our Father has more for us than we can hold. He has given us His Holy Spirit, who pours out freely and fills whatever moments, hours, opportunities, service, education, mission, vocation and relationship we will have the courage to offer Him. We can hold more of His love if we’ll only have the faith to gather our life and hand it over for filling. Our lives will fill and others will be blessed. We’ll be blessed.

“She did what he said. She locked the door behind her and her sons: as soon as they brought the containers to her, she filled them. When all the jugs and bowls were full, she said to one of her sons, “Another jug, please.” He said “That’s it. There are no more jugs. Then the oil stopped.” (1 Kings 4:4-6 MSG)

The Father fills whatever we make available to Him. No more. No less.

Lord, today I make myself available to You. I assemble the jars of my life with great faith, leaving no potential container behind. Please pour Your Holy Spirit into my mind, my habits, my heart and my work. Fill my thoughts, my actions, my waking and sleeping and the moments in between. Fill my coming and going, my hobbies, my hang-ups. Fill my relationships, my marriage, my home. Fill my hopes and dreams and banish my fears in Your presence. May I be faithful to bring each and every jar of my life under the powerful flow of Your Spirit, fully transforming my entire existence for Your glory. Amen.