Half Full or..., by Phil Ware
Are you a person who sees the glass as half full or as half empty?
Most folks are usually either a type of Piglet or a type of Eyesore.
Eyesore says, "I worry what's dreadful thing is going to go wrong today!"
Piglet says, "I wonder what wonderful thing is going to happen today!"
Which one best reflects your attitude? To be honest, my answer depends on when you catch me. When things are going well, I'm a very optimistic person. The glass is always half-full.
I'm positive, excited, and dreaming of what wonderful thing is next. When things are going poorly, I worry about the other shoe dropping.
I'm concerned about the third disaster happening because bad news travels in 3's. The glass is half-empty and on the wane!
Thankfully as Christians, we have whole other way of viewing our lives. or us, the answer isn't half-empty or half-full, it is simply this: Our glass is never empty! Because of God's presence in us through the Holy Spirit, we are never alone, never forgotten, and never empty. No matter how we feel or how things seem, our glass is never empty! When we become Christians, we're given the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39), the seal of God's presence and salvation in our life (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13). Jesus' pours out the Spirit on us when we are reborn to be God's children (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7) and cleanses us and makes holy (1 Cor 6:11). The Spirit leads us (Rom 8:14; Gal 5:18), empowers us to overcome sin (Rom 8:13; Gal 5:24-25), develops Christ-like character (Gal 5:22-23), helps us understand the Scriptures which he inspired (1 Cor 2; 2 Tim 3:16-17), and helps us fulfill righteous demands of the Law which the Law itself could not do (Romans 8:1-4). The Spirit intercedes for us when we pray (Rom 8:26-27), comforts us (John 14:16-21), convicts us of sin (John 16:7-19), gives us gifts to use for God's glory while blessing his Church (1 Cor 12, Rom 12), and transforms us to be more like Christ (2 Cor 3:18). Most importantly, this seal of God's ownership on our life is also our assurance that we can speak to God intimately as his children, crying, "Abba, Father!" knowing that we are heard as God's beloved children (Rom 8:15-17; Gal 4:6-7). Finally, when Jesus returns, the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies (Rom 8:11)! In other words, if we are God's children, the glass is never empty. No matter how we feel, no matter the lies of Satan that try to make us feel worthless or abandoned, we are not alone. God is not only near, but he is in us and calls us his Temple because of his Spirit within us (1 Cor 6:19-20). We are full of promise. We are never empty! We are full of hope. We can know that we will never have to live life empty, no matter how empty we may feel at any one given time -- God is there empowering, transforming, sustaining, and comforting us. We are neither Piglet nor Eeyore. We are children of grace, who like the widow in Elijah's day (1 Kings 17), never find their store of sustenance and grace empty. There is always enough, and more. Our cup is not half full or half empty.
Our cup is never empty!
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