And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In these few verses, Paul instructs us to be filled with Holy Spirit and to praise God. His instruction to be filled with the Spirit is a continual action. That means that we are to continually allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We have to allow Him to have control of our lives so that He can fill us. We have to empty ourselves of us and allow God to fill us with Himself. In the same way that someone who is drunk is controlled by the alcohol, those who are filled with the Spirit of God are controlled by His Spirit. Whatever fills us controls us. If we are filled with ourselves, then we control ourselves. If we are filled with God, then we allow Him to control us. When we are filled by His Spirit and controlled by His Spirit, we are able to sing songs of praise in our hearts. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we will song songs of praise and joy to God. These songs come from our heart.
God’s desire is for us to allow ourselves to be filled by His Spirit. He wants us to sing songs from our hearts. We often sing songs to Him from our mouths, but He wants our songs of praise to come from our hearts. The heart is the center of who we are. If we are filled with Him, then we will overflow with songs of praise to Him. Those songs will reflect what is going on in our heart. Our songs to Him should always be giving Him thanks for everything that He has given us in Jesus Christ. God has given us so much in Jesus. We have so much to be thankful for. When His Spirit is controlling us, we will realize all that He has given us. It will cause us to sing for joy from our hearts to Him. It will cause us to overflow with thankfulness. The Christian life is a life full of joy. We always have so much to thank Him for and we can praise Him from our hearts when we sing songs of joy and thanksgiving to Him. It doesn’t matter how good or bad we sing with our mouths, we can all sing from our hearts to God for what He has done for us.
- Do you empty yourself of you so that God can fill you with Him and have control of your life?
- Do you allow Him to fill you on a daily basis?
- Do you sing songs of joy from your heart to God’s heart?
Today, allow God to take control of your life. Think about the things that you can thank Him for in your life.
A Pastor's Thoughts 