\n<\/p>\n
Do any of those describe how you are feeling? Has your bucket of joy, peace, and faith been drained and now you\u2019re looking for an answer, a refill?<\/p>\n
You say to yourself, \u201cWhat\u2019s missing<\/em>?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n So, you begin to search for that elusive \u201csomething<\/em>\u201d to fill up your bucket. You decide to go on vacation in search of \u201cit<\/em>.<\/strong>\u201d Maybe \u201cit<\/em>\u201d is in the soothing sands of the beach, with the ocean\u2019s gentle waves lapping at the shore. But the remedy doesn\u2019t work. When you return home, all the vacation drains out of your bucket. You\u2019re still empty. \u201cIt\u201d was not in the vacation.<\/p>\n Next, you buy a new car, thinking \u201cit<\/em>\u201d will pump up your ego.<\/strong> But that does not fill your void. Your bucket is still empty. \u201cIt<\/em>\u201d was not in the car.<\/p>\n You purchase a new house to inflate your pride<\/strong>, but the house just cost you more money and didn\u2019t fill your bucket. \u201cIt<\/em>\u201d was not in the house.<\/p>\n Then, you go after a higher paying job because you need more money<\/strong>. You think the power of your new job will appease your empty bucket. But now, you work late every night to pay off the car and the house you couldn\u2019t afford, which only causes more problems in your marriage. Your bucket remains empty. Work was not \u201cit<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n So, you begin to bar hop<\/strong>. All the drinks do not contain \u201cit<\/em>\u201d until you meet a lovely young thing or a handsome young hunk. That pumps you up libido, for a while. But all the air escapes from your balloon one night when you come home from your tryst and find that all your family has moved out.<\/p>\n Then, the words of the old song hit you in the face, \u201cLooking for love in all the wrong places<\/em>.\u201d And your bucket seems even emptier. An affair was not \u201cit<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n So, you find yourself upon your bed, in tears, wondering where it all began, where you went wrong. Reaching back into your memory box, you pull out the memory of you on your knees beside your bed, saying your prayers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You slide off the bed and onto the floor, with knees popping and creaking from years of not bending. You bow your head and begin to sob as you seek the One True Answer\u2026Jesus. The One you have so long ignored. The One you have been searching for and didn\u2019t even know it. The One Who loves you more than anything, enough to die for you.<\/p>\n You pour out your heart to Him<\/strong>. He comes and kneels beside you, wrapping His loving arm around your heaving shoulders and whispers in your ear\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you needed was not to be found in your vacation, nor in your new car or new house, or all the other things you used as a substitute, for what you needed was My Love.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been here all along, kneeling by your bedside, night after night, waiting for you to kneel and find Me once again. Now, you\u2019ve recognized your need.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get rid of all that stands in the way between us, separating us from that special companionship you so desperately need and I so desire to have with you. You have found your Answer. \u201cIt<\/em>\u201d is Me, the Lover of your soul. I am your dwelling place. Never leave My side again.\u201d<\/p>\n You fall at His feet in praise and say as David did, \u201cYou have shown me the way of life, and You will fill me with the joy of Your presence.\u201d (Acts 2:28<\/strong><\/span> NLT quoted from Psalm 16:11<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n Whatever you have been through or are going through right now, I pray that your bucket be filled and runneth over with faith, hope, joy, and love in Jesus.<\/p>\n By Lynn Mosher<\/a> \u2022\u00a0 The Walk of\u00a0<\/strong>Obedience <\/b><\/a>\u2013 by Mary Pinckney<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0 Blessed\u00a0Obedience<\/a> <\/strong>\u2013 by Idelette McVicker<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0 God Requires Risky\u00a0Obedience<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 by Jon Walker<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Used by Permission<\/p>\n\nFURTHER READING<\/span><\/h3>\n