High school in Kenya was rather brutal in our day. The teachers were strict, the mornings chilly, and the food mostly unpalatable.
Little wonder that most of us were perpetually homesick. And let’s not even mention the ridiculous punishments meted out for very flimsy mistakes.
I was once asked to scrub an imposing tree with soap and water. The offence? Wait for it…I was caught snoozing in class.
Whenever my sisters and I closed school, we went into full-fledged celebration. We thrived at home.
We could sleep in, eat food meant for humans, and lounge on the couch watching TV.
We felt loved and uncaged. Consequently, my school uniform would feel tighter on opening days because I always packed on some extra pounds during the holidays.
Naturally, living things need specific environments to thrive. Yanking a fish out of water stifles its breathing, causing it to die.
Denying a budding plant water causes it to wilt away. Believers, too, were only meant to thrive in a specific environment.
Outside this environment, we can never be the best versions of ourselves, no matter how much we try.
The Fullness of God
You can water a plant, but still have it struggling to survive if you don’t give it enough water. Plants need sufficient amounts of water, light, air, and nutrients.
Believers, too, need a specific environment to thrive, and the Apostle Paul prescribes the fullness of God.
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).
God desired communion with mankind and withheld nothing to ensure it. Compelled by love, He gave the ultimate sacrifice – His only Son to restore us to Himself.
You bet that God did not offer such a hefty sacrifice for us to only experience bits and pieces of Him -to merely know Him from the periphery.
He wanted us to experience His fullness. To know Him from every possible angle. His Son Jesus came to give us access to abundant life (John 10:10).
The fullness of God is the right environment for believers to thrive. Only in His fullness can we bear fruit and express Him accurately to the world.
His fullness is the totality of who He is. His love, holiness, mercy, perfection, power, goodness, justice, righteousness, grace, faithfulness, kindness, etc.
God’s perfect environment for believers to flourish is one saturated with Himself. Only then can we thrive and express Him as He is.
For It’s in Him that we live, move, and have our being – Acts 17:28
Casual Won’t Do
Experiencing the fullness of God is not accidental; it’s a conscious choice believers must make. Although God has designed it as our optimum environment, He does not impose it.
God waits for us to desire and pursue His fullness. He does not compete with our schedules.
He wants to be chosen and pursued. He wants us to shove aside competing priorities and make Him our number one.
No wonder His word states that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
I believe everyone who seeks God gets a level of blessing, but there’s a greater blessing for those who do it diligently. Those are rewarded.
Dilligence
Abraham walked diligently with God. So much so that God couldn’t help but divulge classified information to Him.
“Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” Genesis 18:17
Enoch walked diligently with God until He was no more, for the Lord took Him – Gen 5:24
Due to His diligent walk with God, Moses was privy to the ways of God, whereas the children of Israel only knew his acts- Psalm 103:7
David, a man after God’s own heart, was a diligent seeker and lover of God.
Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field (Mathew 13:44).
Diligence is the code we use to access the treasures of God’s Kingdom. Slothfulness won’t cut it.
Even today, God is looking for diligent men and women. Those who crave not just little doses of Him but His entirety. Those desperate for His fullness. He rewards them with Himself.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13
His eyes search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him – 2 Chronicles 16:9
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect – Romans 12:2
Enter Distractions
The enemy will not sit on his laurels and watch you nurture an intimate relationship with God.
He knows he is in big trouble when you do. Imagining the feats you will accomplish after experiencing the fullness of God makes him shake in his boots
He knows the tenacity you will build to withstand tough times. He is privy to the tremors you will cause in his kingdom.
He therefore peppers your life with distractions. Whichever side you turn, there will be a reason for you not to spend time in prayer, study the Word, meditate on His precepts, and fellowship with other believers.
Distracting you is what he does best. He walks around like a roaring lion searching for someone to devour.
If you are not sober and vigilant, you become low-hanging fruit for him. You fall off with just a slight touch.
And here’s the thing: many of the things deterring us from seeking God diligently do not necessarily rank as sin.
We are all merely busy raking in the dough. We have to work, study, parent, travel, etc.
Even Martha was not distracted by sinful things. Jesus was in their home, and someone needed to do the serving. But Jesus still corrected her and commended Mary, who was lounging at his feet.
No matter how busy we are, God has never revised His principle that asks us to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness (Mathew 6:33).
Lay it down
Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us – Hebrews 12: 1
What’s deterring you from experiencing the fullness of God? Whether it is a sinful habit or a distraction like Martha’s, God doesn’t want you to hold on to it. He wants you to lay it down.
It could be social media addiction, misplaced priorities, laziness, anxiety, wrong friendships, busyness, or plain old sin.
Whatever it is, It’s not worth obstructing you from the treasures nestled in God’s kingdom.
Granted, laying aside that familiar habit or sin will be uncomfortable and downright hard.
That’s why Paul, in the same portion of scripture, asks us to run the race with endurance.
To hold on even when everything in us is itching to revert to an old destructive habit.
To dig in our heels and resist the allure of sin. Furthermore, we do not lay aside the weight and sin by our own strength.
His grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (Titus 2:11-12).
But even when we falter and relapse, He doesn’t condemn us. He forgives and restores us.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, they rise again – Proverbs 24:16
Final Thoughts
God wants you to enjoy intimate communion with him. He longs for you to experience His fullness.
However, the onus is on you. Will you seek him with all your heart? Will you lay aside every sin and weight?
Take a look at your daily schedule and shift things around if you need to. Let seeking and fellowshiping with Him be your top priority.
Build your schedule around God, not God around your schedule.
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