Why do we stop with the goosebumps?
That’s a question that has been on my mind and it’s just as much a challenge to me as it should be to others.
There is no end to the depth of God or His love, so why are we satisfied with just getting to the level where we feel the goosebumps?
We read in Romans 8:37 “Yet in all of these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. If we are more than conquerors through Him, don’t you think there is more to His presence than just feeling goosebumps or even just feeling emotional when he’s around?
He made us to be more than in every aspect of our walk with Him. He didn’t ever intend on us being full; He intended for us to overflow and keep getting filled and keep overflowing. Psalms 23:5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
If he prepares for us a table, takes care of us, and blesses us so much that our cup is so full it overflows, then why are we satisfied if our cup is only half full? Why do we settle for the shore when we’re made for the depths of the sea? If we look back at Romans 8:38-39 we can see that Paul says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Pause for a second a let that somewhat sink in. I say somewhat because our minds do not have the capacity to fully understand the love that God has for us. You can turn to 1 Corinthians 13 and read a pretty great description of love, but even with that there is more to God’s love than listed there.
Many times in my prayer and devotion time the Spirit of God has taken me to an ocean and shown me and spoken to me the main theme of this message; why settle with letting the waves barely come up and touch your toes, when we were made for the depths of the oceans that God has called us to?
Let’s go on a brief journey through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus tells the disciples that He must go so another can come. He tells them that through the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that they and we, would go on to do greater things than He did. Fast forward to Acts 2 and the Spirit of God flooded the room and filled all of the apostles with the Spirit and they spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Go ahead to Acts 4 and the apostles are praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit again for boldness. This is just a small sample size but I want you to see something. Put on your thinking cap for a minute and dwell on these questions and statements.
The apostles that were in the upper room for the first infilling of the Holy Spirit, two chapters later were earnestly and fervently seeking to be filled with more of the Spirit.
If the one time experience in the upper room wasn’t enough for them, why is it enough for us?
Why do so many of us stop with tongues and the baptism of the Spirit (being filled with the Holy Spirit), when there are 9 gifts of the Spirit that were supposed to operate in?
Why do we stop seeking God earnestly and fervently after one experience? Why don’t proceed past the goosebumps or the emotion into the deeper things of God?
Why are we satisfied with only knowing the shallow things of God, when there are so many deeper things we can be a part of?
I’m talking to myself and challenging myself, just as much as I’m talking to or challenging anybody else, but these are things we have to consider on our walk with Christ. If there is no end to what He wants to bestow upon us, why are we okay with being half full?
Ephesians 3:19 says to “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
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