Emptied.

During the song service this evening, we sang the song "Channels Only." The third verse convicted me as I meditated on the words:

Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,

A clean vessel in Thy hand;

With no power but as Thou givest

Graciously with each command.

Chorus: Channels only, blessed Master,

But with all Thy wondrous power

Flowing through us,

Thou canst use us

Every day and every hour.

The challenge in the verse was so clear: emptied that Thou shouldest fill me. Empty of what? Pride. Dreams. Self-preservation. Bitterness. Selfishness. Vain pursuits. Laziness. Hopes. Anger. Expectations. The list goes on and on.

I can never be filled until I am first emptied. It's like Elisha and the widow woman. He told her to borrow empty vessels (2 Kings 4:3) so he could fill them with oil. What would have happened if the widow woman brought full vessels? Talk about unusable.

And so the challenge resounds in my heart tonight. Before He can flow through me and use me every day and every hour, I must first be empty.