Aristotle stated, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” A perfect vacuum is space that contains no matter. This is an impossibility in nature or even a lab. Consider yourself as a spiritual vessel for a moment. The Bible already uses that analogy in several passages (2 Tim. 2:20; Rom. 9:20-21). What would happen if you stopped filling yourself with God? Would your spiritual reserve eventually just empty and be void of any contents? Sometimes we deceive ourselves thinking that way. We think to ourselves, “I may not be reading, praying or practicing any of the other spiritual disciplines but at least I’m not doing bad things.” We like to think that we are neutral and doing no harm. One of the problems of creating a perfect vacuum in a lab is isolating that empty space from any outside influence.
The same is true for us. In reality, we are not empty vessels doing no harm. If we are not filling the void of our souls with the influence of God, it will get filled with the influence of the world. Try one of these exercises and see what it says about what we are filling ourselves with. Look into your internet history and see what has been on your mind most. Ask friends or co-workers to tell you what they think is most important to you. Sometimes what others perceive of us is closer to reality than the lies we sell ourselves. If you really want to get introspective, download the app Quality Time, and let it track which apps you use most. The old saying, “Time will tell,” is in this case, “Time will tell on you.” Jesus said it this way, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
There are ways that we can be purposeful in filling ourselves up with God. An empty vessel will get filled, but a full vessel has no need of anything. We need to fill ourselves with God’s wisdom and direction. We can do that by s-l-o-w-l-y reading the Bible—not doing it to check it off the list but actually thinking about what we are reading. We should be meditating and praying about the truths that are there. We can passively listen to it as we drive. Let it be the background or soundtrack to our commute. We can spend time studying with fellow brothers and sisters. We all need be doing it. Why not incorporate someone else into the routine? We also need to fill ourselves up with the practice of God’s word. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to put what we learn into play in our lives and in our families. We can be an influence to help keep other vessels full. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17).
A perfect vacuum is rare, and a perfect person is rarer still. Do not let the outside influence us. You decide if you will be a vessel of honor or dishonor. Stay pressurized with God.