Titus 3:3-7 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Remember summer? It was warm, the kids played outside, and the BBQ was being used on a regular basis. That was nice. And you know that two week period in which you had to wear sunscreen? That was good too, except when you accidentally got too much sunscreen on your hands. It’s a dilemma, isn’t it? You couldn’t just put more on because your skin was already slimy from what you put on. So you had to find someone to share it with. You wipe some on your kids faces, your spouses back… all to get it off your hands and not waste any. That’s what happens when you squeeze the bottle too generously.
You know what? God squeezed the Holy spirit bottle pretty generously as well. That’s what it says in Titus 3. It says that the Holy Spirit was poured out generously through Jesus Christ. He didn’t hold back. He didn’t tease us with a little drop. He didn’t give us just enough to avoid a sunburn on our nose. He poured out so much that we could lather our whole bodies in it. And when you are covered, you don’t get burned. Yet so many Christians just stand there with the Holy Spirit Sunscreen in their hands and never put it on. They never lather up! He gave a generous amount, enough to cover all of you… and even enough to share some with your friends.
Isn’t God good!? He gave us His Spirit generously. But there’s something you need to know. It’s the same thing that you see on bottles of sunscreen. “Reapply.” You know how it says to reapply after 4 hours? We’ve got to reapply His Spirit, too. It’s not a one and done kind of filling. This is a lifestyle of asking Him to pour out His Spirit. If you’ve ever vacationed in a hot place like the south, you know how important it is to reapply that sunscreen. I do it religiously. If only I was that religious about reapplying His Spirit. If only I lived every minute of my life making sure I’m covered, maybe I wouldn’t get burned.
Abundant Life 