We may recognize when our stormach or car is empty. But it takes some self-awareness to realize when our spirit is empty. On Sunday, we talked about the "Spirit-Filled Life."
A Spirit-filled life is not defined by dramatic expressions, head knowledge, religious duty, or even apparent "ministry success." A Spirit-filled life is recognized by fruit that looks like the character of God ("love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" -Galatians 5:22-23).
Jesus sent His promised Spirit to live in His followers in Acts 2. As the Spirit came on the Jesus-followers, they were entrusted with spiritual gifts for the purpose of sharing God's love in new ways that allowed new people to hear the Gospel. And as the Church grew by the thousands, their lives were characterized by the Spirit's lead into Looking Up, Connecting In and Reaching Out (sound reminiscent of our Family Values?).
Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If so, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Is He filling you to overflowing (Ephesians 5:18). The evidence of such a life is in the fruit of the Spirit laid out in Gal 5:22-23. If a sober self-reflection, reveals the works of flesh, be responsible to confess your sin and receive from God His forgiveness and filling.
(For reference, some of these works of the flesh as listed in Galatians 5 include: immorality, impurity, idolatry, opposition, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, disunity, divisions, envy, drunkenness, etc.)