“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
– Philippians 3:12-14 MSG
“The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”
Ephesians 1:23 MSG
A dear friend of mine said to me a few hours ago, “it’s been a long time since you’ve written something.” and she wasn’t wrong. Though I had not publicly put out any posts, I had written a couple of pieces in my journal in recent times. I remember that when I saw her message, I gave her a response about just taking my time and how I will get back to it soon but in my deepest of minds, I really had no immediate plan to do so.
You see, I have been on some soul searching, self-finding journey, coupled with the fact that I am building my website and I oftentimes like things to be perfect before stepping out but I guess I’m learning now that conditions are not always going to be right but I have to step out all the same. Anyway, I went through all that story to make you see that I had no intention of writing today but during my Bible study time, I opened my journal and had an inkling to read through and barely 2 entries in, I found what I’m about to share with you today. The urge to write suddenly became unbearable and unavoidable, so God must want you to know this as much as He wanted to remind me of it.
In Ephesians 1, I believe Apostle Paul was trying to make us understand our role as carriers of God’s presence. From the beginning of the chapter, he walks us through the process of God choosing us before the foundation of the earth was laid, he also shows us how liberating the sacrifice of Jesus is, all that to show how our identity is rooted in none other than God our Father.
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.”
Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG
Apostle Paul continues this introductory session into who we are and our purpose in Christ and in v.23 he writes these words, “The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”. I remember clearly that the analogy that came to mind for me the day I referenced this in my journal was that of a perfume bottle. Bear with me as I try to paint this picture vividly. We all know what a perfume bottle is but if we had to take it apart, we would have the bottle, the fragrance and the pump as the major components.
As I thought of the perfume bottle, another portion of a scripture was brought to my mind – 2 Corinthians 2:14 where it reads “…Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.” So the picture of the perfume bottle was now becoming clearer to me in understanding Ephesians 1:23.
Here’s the conclusion I came to, if we are the church and it is through us that Christ fills everything with His presence then Christ is the fragrance and we are the bottles, However, what is the pump? How do we complete the equation? How does the fragrance get out? You see, the fragrance only comes out of the bottle when pressure is applied to the pump. Voila! The puzzle is finally complete. Whatever life throws at you, good or bad, is simply the pressure on your pump.
With every situation we face, pressure is being applied to our pumps. It is through us that Christ’s presence and knowledge will fill everything, yet we can only ooze out what we are filled with. No matter how much pressure you apply to an empty perfume bottle, nothing will come out. That’s what I needed to be reminded of today and I know someone else out there needs to be reminded of this because the Holy Spirit doesn’t just ask us to do things for the fun of it.
If you are not filled with Christ, what fragrance are you oozing our to the world around you? Worse still, if you are filled with all the wrong things, the slightest of pressures will have you emitting a stench so strong it will repulse those around you. Is that what God has called us to? Is that the kind of life He saved us for? There is so much going on in the world right now and also in our individual lives that is exerting just the right amount of pressure on our pumps. The question remains are we going to exude Christ amidst all these happenings or are going to tow the line of the world and exude panic and dread?
We need to constantly remember that we are vessels, ornately decorated vessels carved by God Himself and we need to be filled with the right substance. It is important that we pay attention to what we are filling ourselves with. We need to consciously spend time in God’s presence. That is the only way we can continue to be filled with the very essence of Christ Himself. You cannot afford to run out. Think of it this way, for every time you ooze out a puff, you need a refill else you will end up an empty bottle with no fragrance to diffuse.
This piece is very much for me as it is for you. It’s time to really assess ourselves and what we are diffusing. What oozes out of you with just a little pressure? Are you stinking up the place with every little thing that comes at you or do you have people longing to know the essence of the sweet aroma you leave behind in every situation?
I pray that God will help us be truthful with ourselves and come to a place of repentance before Him. I pray that He will help us truly understand our responsibility as vessels to fill everything with His presence. I pray for the grace to pay the price of spending quality time with God so He can fill us with His very essence in Jesus’ name.
Till next time, remain filled with the sweet stuff!
Bloomnthots!! 