"Filled to the Brim" - Girlfriends in God - Feb. 11, 2010

February 10, 2010 

Filled to the Brim 

Sharon Jaynes 

(In honor of Valentine's Day, Sharon's February devotions will focus on marriage.)

Today's Truth 
"Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water'; so they filled them to the brim" (John 2:7 NIV).

Friend To Friend 
Shortly after Jesus was baptized, he attended a wedding reception in the town of Cana, in Galilee.  Apparently Jesus felt very comfortable at such a party, and I imagine Him laughing, mingling, and having a good time with His friends.  On the third day of the festivities, Mary, Jesus' mother, noticed that they were running out of wine. For a host to run out of wine at a Jewish wedding celebration was an embarrassment and disgrace. Leave it to a woman to notice the party details.  Leave it to a woman to know where to go for help.

Mary turned to her son and said, "They have no more wine," (John 2:3 NIV) as if she expected Him to do something about it.  I can almost see her raised eyebrow and the mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Jesus said, "Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come" (John 2:4).

Mary turned to the servants and said, "Do whatever He tells you."  Mary seemed to understand Jesus' power before anyone else.

Jesus told the servants to fill six large thirty gallon stone pots with water. So they filled them "to the brim."  Then He told them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.

One of the servants dipped his ladle into the jar and poured rich aromatic red wine into a goblet.  I imagine he couldn't keep his eyes off of the miracle he held in his hands.  Reverently the servant passed the cup to the master of ceremonies.

The master then called out to the bridegroom and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

I often wonder what would have happened if the servants had filled the pots half full or three fourths full.  I imagine Jesus would have transformed exactly what they put in.  Likewise, God will transform just as much of our lives as we give Him.  As for me, I want to "fill it to the brim," give Him all of my life - every bit of it.  It is the same with my marriage.  I want to give Jesus all of my marriage…to the brim.  So in our winter years, my husband and I will agree…we have saved the best till now.

Let's Pray 
Dear Lord, I pray that I will be like the servants who did exactly what you told them to do.  My desire is to obey you fully…to the brim.  Help me not to hold back anything but give You all of me so that you can transform me totally.

In Jesus' Name, 
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn 
How much of your marriage do you want Jesus to transform?  How much of your marriage have you given Him?

How much of your attitude do you want Jesus to transform?  How much of your attitude have you given Him?

How much of your __________ do you want Jesus to transform? (You fill in the blank.)  How much have you given Him?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Please visit my blog at www.sharonjaynes.com/blog or facebook page at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes to share your comments.

More From The Girlfriends 
Today's devotion was taken from Becoming the Woman of His Dreams: Seven Qualities Every Man Longs For.  If there is one area of our lives that we need to give totally to Christ, it is our marriage.  Perhaps that's why Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding.  To learn more about how to have an incredible marriage, visit www.sharonjaynes.com and follow the links to read an excerpt or watch a video of Sharon's book.