Deuteronomy 28-29

Mark 14:54-72 

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” —John 10:10

A philosophy professor once stood in front of his class with a large empty jar. He then proceeded to fill it with rocks. When it was full, he asked his students if the jar was full and the students said “yes.” Afterwards, the professor brought out a box of pebbles and began to pour pebbles into the jar; the pebbles trickled around the rocks until a number of pebbles had found a place within the jar. The professor asked his students again, whether the jar was full, and the students said, “yes.” Then, he took a bag of sand and poured the sand into the jar; the sand trickled down into all the gaps that were still there. He asked the same question to his students and the students said, “yes, it is now full.” The professor then reached out for a jug of water and poured the content into the jar, soaking all the little spaces that were still there until the water began to overflow. He turned to the class and asked one more time, “Is the jar full?” And the students replied, “Yes, it is really full.”

The professor explained to the students: “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks represent the important things, your family, your children, your friends, your health and your passion; these are the big or really important things that money cannot buy. If everything else was lost and only these rocks remain, your life would still have meaning. You must make these things a priority in your life. The pebbles represent the things in your life that matter and are necessary but you can live without. This could be your job, your house, your car, any material possessions and your hobbies. These things do give your life meaning but are certainly not crucial for you to have a meaningful life. The sand represents the small things in life that would not be missed if they were cut out of your life or you did not have enough time left in your day for them. These are like watching TV, browsing on social media and pointless worrying or overthinking. As for the water, this represents the fact that through it all, you can always make time to have a drink with friends.”

For each of us, God has granted a jar—a life—what are we filling it with? In Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus, he writes, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). As Christians, may we fill our lives with things for God’s glory.

Precious Jesus, teach me to fill my life with the things of You and rid anything that distracts me from You. Let everything in my life be for Your glory. Praise You!