Tony Elder, Author/Pastor

My wife and I recently took an overnight trip into Georgia’s scenic northeast corner. We took a few short hikes, visited several waterfalls, and browsed through a couple of antique stores and gift shops. However, one of our main objectives was to eat at a particular restaurant. We had heard others rave about it over the years but had never been there ourselves. It was known for its delicious food and family style meals. After being seated, our server showed us the day’s menu and explained that we could either choose to enjoy the all-you-can-eat option or simply create individual plates out of a few of those food items. There was no question in our minds what we were going to do. We wanted the full experience, choosing the all-you-can-eat option. And we were not disappointed. The food was delicious and plentiful.  And “full” certainly described how we felt when it was over.

Are we similarly determined to possess the full experience of being followers of Jesus? Do we want everything that has been provided for us in a saving relationship with Christ? Or are we satisfied with simply a taste of what it means to be a Christian? Do we settle for a small, carefully chosen plateful of religion rather than indulging in the unlimited buffet of spiritual blessings that are available to those who put their trust in Jesus as Lord over their lives?

One of Paul’s prayers for the believers in Ephesus, as well as for us, is that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). It is hard to comprehend what all such a concept entails. However, it is clear that it means we are to go beyond just seeking the minimum requirement for being a believer. We shouldn’t simply be looking to get enough of God to avoid His wrath, to escape the eternal fires of hell, and to squeeze into heaven’s gates. We should be pursuing the fullness of God. We always ought to be seeking a closer relationship with Him. We should be submitting ourselves to Him to let Him change us more and more into His likeness. We should be letting His Spirit not simply live in us, but fill us, mold us, empower us, and flow from us to touch the lives of others.

We need more than simply a taste of what life in Christ is like. In the book of Hebrews, it warns that there are those “who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” who could fall away (Hebrews 6:4-5). Continuing to pursue the fullness of God helps us to persevere in the faith.

So let’s cultivate that desire in our hearts to seek everything God has for us. Let’s not just accept the gift of a future life in heaven one day, but also the gift of eternal life in Jesus that changes us and how we live our lives here on earth right now. Let’s not be satisfied with being a born-again infant in the family of God, but let’s seek to grow and become a more mature follower of the Lord.  Let’s pursue not only being a forgiven people but a holy people. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Are we experiencing the abundant life that Jesus wants us to have?

Let’s not miss out on the full experience of following Jesus. Go all out in living for Him and serving Him. Be totally surrendered to His will and His work in your life. Let’s be filled with all His fullness.