Matthew 12:44 – “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.”  NASB

Not only did this individual have the Fatal Misconception that Harmlessness was Holiness but He failed to realize another truth.  Not Only Does Emptiness Fall Short of Holiness but Emptiness is or can be Sin.

Please tap the brakes just a moment and not go wild with that statement.  I do not believe that just being busy is a sign of godliness.  I do not believe that being busy equates to salvation or purity.  I wrote a book detailing that problem entitled, “Too Busy With Busyness To Hear God.”  Therefore, I would never suggest that we be busy for the sake of being busy but that our busyness be God directed. 

We could bestow all our goods on the poor and needy and still not be profited spiritually.  James 4:17 informs us, “Him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”  I do not believe that anyone can stand amid a needy world and not be guilty in the eyes of God if we remain idle or empty.

That Truth is Emphasized Time and Again in Scripture.  Jesus taught it and it is visible when He cursed the fig tree for emptiness.  He did not curse it because it did harm but because it was empty and bore no fruit but testified of having fruit.  Trees in the garden were removed because they were empty or fruitless. 

Let me make a shocking statement for some.  “In order to be lost it is not necessary to do wrong; it is only necessary to be useless.”  That is to miss the mark and fail to be obedient to God.  Remember the parable of the talents and the one was cast out not because of his act of wickedness but his failure to use what he had.  The man at the wedding feast that was cast out was not cast out because of his wickedness but because he did not have a wedding garment.

I heard of an engaged couple who had gone to a movie and during the movie, a fire broke out.  He ran away and left her behind.  Later he returned and sought her out, but she refused to acknowledge him. Why?  Because he ran away without doing what he should. She called off the wedding. 

Not only Is Emptiness sin (Sin of Omission) but it often leads to positive sin.  The only cure for emptiness is fullness.  Jesus said, “Out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”  We are instructed in Ephesians to be “filled” or “crammed full of the Holy Spirit.”  The only real foe and defeat for darkness is light.  The only way to truly destroy error is with the truth. 

The parable of the tares and wheat is a powerful declaration of this truth.  Jesus taught a unique lesson in that account.  The focus is on the health of the wheat, not the tares.  It is better to have some tares in the wheat than to uproot the wheat.  Paul addressed this truth to a semi-barbarous tribe in Galatia who had been converted. They were having difficulty with self-control.  He did not say, “Set your face and make up your mind that you are not going to do wrong.”  No, He said, “This I say, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” 

We cannot win our world by simply doing no harm or wrong.  We must be filled with Christ and invest ourselves in His service.  We cannot simply be emptied of sin, we must be filled with Christ and His Spirit.  There is a work for us to do.  There is an assignment each of us has from God. 

We do not know how long we must work but we know we have work to do.  We have a community to reach, a world to tell about Jesus, lives to edify, disciples to teach and train.  Now is the accepted time and today is the day of salvation.  Refuse to be an idler and seek to be filled with Him and His Spirit.  If we ask, we will receive.  If we seek, we will find.  If we knock, He will open the door. 

God bless you as you enjoy His blessings, His Person, and His Power in your life today!