Have you ever tried to carry water with a hole in the bucket? I have, and not only did I have to make extra trips because part of the water was gone before I got to my destination, I was also soaked from the leak. The water that spilled on me was of no value to the plants, and I certainly didn’t need it on my clothes.
Sometimes, our bucket of life has holes in it. Each hole allows things that we need to spill out, draining us of the good and leaving the bad in the bucket. God’s desire for our lives is that we be full of Him. He teaches us in His word how to plug up those holes. Once we have plugged the hole, we can properly fill the bucket.
What are some holes that we tend to allow in our bucket?
First, lies from the devil. He is a great deceiver and a liar. The truth is not in him. When we base our beliefs on what the world says is good and fulfilling, we are going to experience a big hole. He knows how to paint a lie to make you think it is the truth. He tried this with Eve, and he succeeded. He first caused her to question what God had said. Have you ever second-guessed the word of God, wondering if it really meant what it said or if it is truly God’s word? Eve did, and it cost the entire human race.
Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Second, what about the hole of worry? To worry is to sin, sin always makes a hole, and the more we allow that sin to infiltrate our bucket the bigger the hole gets. Worry comes from allowing yourself to think untrue thoughts about God. We may not verbalize it, but when we worry, we act as if the outcome is entirely up to us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Matthew reminds us that we can’t add anything to our height by worry. God ordained that long before you were born. In this passage in Matthew, the reader is encouraged to remember that God is in total control, and we are to feel confident He will take care of us. In Philippians 4:6-7, the word careful means anxious or worried. These verses tell us how to approach worry. We are to take our worry to God and leave it there. Our confidence must be in Him, not ourselves.
Matthew 6:27 “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Third, another hole that robs us of joy and peace is the hole that deals with how we feel toward others. Even in Christian circles, people get irritated and angry with each other. Someone says or does something we don’t like, and we take it personally. We let it fester, and before long, we have a genuine dislike for that person. When we don’t like them, it’s hard to show love. Genuine love says I look past our differences and see the soul that God loves. That doesn’t mean we agree on everything, but I care enough for you to see past the barriers. When we don’t like someone, we steer clear of them, and we usually let others know we don’t like them. Jesus said one of the ways that others will know we are His is by the love we have for one another. Not loving the brethren will create a big hole we need to plug if we are going to be good witnesses.
John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
There are many other holes that we could address, but all holes have the same remedy. We are to put God first and seek to be like Jesus. Romans 8:29 reminds us that He has called us to be like Jesus. If that is our goal, selfish desires will be laid aside for the advancement of the gospel. To live so that others will see Jesus in us will plug up those holes that so easily drain our bucket.
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
How can we plug up all the holes? Fill our bucket with Jesus. Spend time reading His word. The Bible is a letter to us. It reveals the character of God and how we can please Him. Pray about everything. Be in constant communion with Him. He is your best friend and your constant companion. His Spirit dwells within you, don’t ignore Him. Seek to obey all that you know, and when you fail, repent quickly. Keep fresh living water in your bucket. The only way you can lose that kind of water is for it to overflow from the top onto others.
What holes do you need to plug today?
