"Frost yourself" was the marketing slogan in the chick flick movie "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days." Actor Matthew McConaughey's idea was to tantalize women to cover (frost) themselves in beautiful sparkling diamonds. "Frost" your ears, necks, fingers, wrists. Dripping with diamonds might look pretty, however even with diamonds draped around actress Kate Hudson's neck, she still had problems. As we all know, it's not what we put on the outside, but rather on the inside that matters most. So how can we "frost ourselves" on the inside?
Frost Yourself
Although the Bible doesn't use the term "frost yourself," it does use other imagery to help us understand our role in our sanctification or holiness; which, by the way, is God's goal for us. And, hopefully our goal for ourselves - to be more Christ like.
"Fill Yourself" - A Glistening Proposition
The Bible uses the terminology "fill" rather than frost. And, as explained earlier, is a process that happens on the inside rather than the outside. Eph. 5:18 says, "Be filled with the Spirit." Now that's a glistening proposition! Read about God, the Holy Spirit, and the ascended Christ in the Bible and you will find terms such as "glory filling the temple." 1 Cor. 6:19 explains that since Christ's ascension and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, we are now the temple of Christ. Hence, God's glory is to "fill" us. We're to be "frosted" on the inside with the glorious presence of God's Holy, glorious Spirit. Oh, I fall short of that so much more often than I obtain it. But falling short in the past doesn't mean that you and I should ignore the command.
Permeate Yourself
If we desire to obey Eph. 5:18, we must move beyond a movie analogy to the correct context and verb tense of "be filled with the Spirit."
To Be Filled with the Spirit is a Command, Not a Campaign Slogan
God is serious about what is frosting, permeating, filling us. Eph. 5:18 isn't inviting us to be filled with God's Spirit. It is commanding us as believers to be filled with God's Spirit rather than our own carnal, fallen nature.
We Are to Be Being Filled Continuously, Not Just Once
Spiritual "highs" and mountain top experiences are nice, but they're not where we live. God is interested in where we live. He's interested in our down times, our hurt times, our lonely times, our times of temptation, our times when self-centeredness wants to take control. He wants to use us for more than our glory. He wants to guard us from mistakes. In love, He knows the only way we'll obtain the glorious, high way is when HE is on the throne of our hearts and HE is steering the wheel. Continuously, don yourself with God's Holy Spirit is the command. Don't just dress up with Christ's Spirit for church. Instead, each and every morning pray, "God fill me with Your Spirit. Permeate every fiber of my body, soul, and mind with Your Holiness." During the day when we sin, we're to repent and prayerfully re-submit ourselves to the inner draping of God's Holy Spirit over our mind, heart, and emotions.
As Michael Youseff, in his study guide on Ephesians explains,
"The filling of the Spirit is not like filling a cup with water. The word filling here has the connotation of wind filling the sail of a ship and moving the ship forward. It means the person is immersed, permeated, and moved along by what fills him." (pg 107)
Frosted or Filled
What about us? Are we more concerned with the frostings of life? What we look like, what we wear, what our home or business looks like? Or, are we walking obediently to God's command to continuously frost ourselves, fill ourselves with God's Holiness - His Holy Spirit. I'm ashamed I've been disobedient to this command way too often. But today I can start anew. So can you.
Lord, You are a merciful and patient God. You wait for us to come to You. Lord, forgive me for times I've been more concerned with the outer frosting than the inner filling of Your Spirit. I ask You to fill me, permeate every ounce of my being with Your Holy Spirit. Fill me and move me forward by the wind of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.
