The God Who Fills

 

Inspired by the Liturgy of St. Mark

Scripture

“You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” — Psalm 145:16

Reflection

The ancient Church of Alexandria prayed with a simplicity that cuts straight to the heart: “O Lord, who gives food to all flesh, fill our hearts with joy and gladness.”

Before they asked for anything else, they confessed something essential — God is the One who feeds. He feeds the body, yes, but He also feeds the soul. He sustains creation, but He also sustains courage. He provides bread for the table and grace for the journey.

In a world where we often feel stretched thin, hungry for peace, or weary from the demands of ministry and life, this prayer reminds us that God is not stingy with His goodness. He is the God who opens His hand. He is the God who fills.

And notice what the prayer asks Him to fill: Not our schedules. Not our plans. Not our ministries. Our hearts.

Joy and gladness are not luxuries for the spiritually comfortable — they are gifts from the God who knows how easily our hearts run dry. The early Christians in Egypt prayed this because they believed something we often forget: joy is not something we manufacture; it is something God gives.

Today, let this ancient prayer become your own. Let the God who feeds all flesh feed your spirit. Let Him fill the empty places. Let Him restore the joy that ministry sometimes drains. Let Him give you gladness that circumstances cannot steal.

Because the God who fills is still filling.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Giver of every good thing, You who open Your hand and satisfy all creation — fill my heart today. Where I am weary, give strength. Where I am anxious, give peace. Where I am empty, give joy. Let gladness rise again in me, not from my efforts, but from Your generous love today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://lnkd.in/gc--bX66

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book

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"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

All the Fullness in Christ.

“In Him all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.” — Col. 2:9

Reflection

When we look to Jesus, we are not seeing part of God—we are seeing all of God, perfectly revealed. As your article says, “In Jesus all of God is seen and perfectly revealed” . Everything the Father desires us to know about Himself is made clear in His Son.

From the beginning, Israel confessed, “The Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deut. 6:4). Yet in Jesus, the eternal Word made flesh, that oneness is unveiled in a deeper and more beautiful way. As you wrote, “When we come to Jesus we are coming to ‘All of God’” .

Jesus shows us the Father.

Jesus sends us the Spirit.

Jesus embodies the fullness of the Trinity in human form.

And when we turn to Him, the veil is removed. We begin to see God as He truly is—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God, fully revealed in Christ.

This means something profoundly personal:

If you want to know God’s heart, look to Jesus.

If you want to know God’s character, look to Jesus.

If you want to know God’s love, look to Jesus.

He is the clearest, fullest revelation of the God who has always desired relationship with us.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are the fullness of God in human form. Remove every veil from our hearts, that we may see You more clearly and know the Father through You. Draw us into the life and love of the Holy Trinity, today and forever. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://lnkd.in/gc--bX66

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book

https://lnkd.in/g664NEdT

"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

The Trinity of the Word-Devotional

 

Scripture

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” — Matthew 12:34

God has never been silent. Though human language is limited, the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — has chosen to speak to us in words we can understand. Scripture is not merely information; it is God opening His heart.

The Father speaks through His Word, declaring, “I am God” (Isa. 42:8–9; 44:6,8). And what comes from His mouth comes from His heart. Jesus tells us this plainly: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” When God speaks, He reveals His deepest desire — to make Himself known.

Hebrews tells us that in these last days God has spoken through His Son, “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His being” (Heb. 1:1–3). When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus answered, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus is the Father’s heart made visible.

The Holy Spirit, the divine Author of Scripture, carries this revelation to us. He guides us into truth, glorifying Christ and making known what belongs to the Father (John 16:12–15). The Spirit speaks of the Son, the Son reveals the Father, and the Father sends the Spirit. This is the Trinity of the Word.

“All Scripture is God‑breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). The same breath that gave life to Adam breathes life into the pages of Scripture. And the eternal Word became flesh (John 1:14), so that in Jesus “all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9).

When we come to Jesus, we encounter the fullness of God. When we open Scripture, we encounter the same fullness — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speaking with one voice.

This Word works in us, transforming and renewing us (1 Thess. 2:13), drawing us into the eternal life Jesus described: “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Prayer

Holy God, Thank You for speaking to us from Your heart. Through Your Word, let us see the Son, and through the Son, let us know the Father, as the Spirit opens our eyes to Your truth. Draw us into deeper communion with You — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://lnkd.in/gc--bX66

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book

https://lnkd.in/g664NEdT

"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

Pentecost: Dreaming God’s Dreams

 

Scripture

“Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” — Acts 2:17

Pentecost is more than a moment in history—it is the ongoing work of God in the world today. When the Spirit was poured out, the disciples weren’t simply experiencing a miracle; they were stepping into the very dreams and visions the prophets had spoken centuries before.

Pentecost tells us something astonishing: God’s Kingdom is not far off. It is here. It is now. And we are part of it.

Young or old, seasoned or new in the faith, the Spirit invites us to see what God sees—to dream God’s dreams for the world. The Spirit empowers us to speak hope, to live boldly, and to bear witness to Jesus in our everyday lives.

The same Spirit who filled the disciples fills us. The same Kingdom they saw, we see. The same dreams they lived, we live.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, open our eyes to Your visions and awaken our hearts to Your dreams. Let our lives speak of Jesus with clarity, courage, and love. Make us living witnesses of Your Kingdom today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://lnkd.in/gc--bX66

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book

https://lnkd.in/g664NEdT

"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

Pentecost: Unity in Jesus

 

Scripture 

 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” — Acts 2:1

Pentecost is often celebrated as the birthday of the Church, but its roots stretch far deeper—back to the Feast of First Fruits, and even further, to humanity’s ancient attempt at unity at the Tower of Babel. To understand the miracle of Pentecost, we must remember the contrast Scripture gives us: Babel’s scattering versus Christ’s gathering.

Babel: When Humanity Tried to Climb to Heaven

After the flood, humanity spoke one language and shared one ambition—to build a tower that reached the heavens. It was unity, rather it was conformity , but unity built on pride, self‑reliance, and human achievement. God intervened, confusing their language and scattering the nations. What looked like unity was actually conformity, and what looked like progress was rebellion.

At Babel, humanity tried to rise to heaven. At Pentecost, heaven came down to humanity.

Pentecost: Unity Through Christ, Not Conformity

Pentecost is not an isolated event tacked onto the end of Jesus’ ministry. It is the direct result of His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The Spirit did not begin His work in Acts 2—He revealed what Christ had already accomplished.

Pentecost declares: Jesus lives. Jesus reigns. Jesus gathers His people.

Where Babel fractured humanity, Pentecost restored what was lost. People from many nations heard the Gospel in their own languages—different tongues, one message, one Lord.

This is unity not built by human effort, but born of the Spirit.

Firstfruits of a New Creation

The Church is not a human institution but a divine harvest. Christ Himself is the firstfruits of resurrection life (1 Corinthians 15:23), and those who belong to Him become a kind of firstfruits of God’s new creation (James 1:18).

Pentecost is the feast where God gathers His people—every tribe, every tongue, every nation—into one body through Jesus Christ.

The Compelling Call of Pentecost

The early disciples did not stay hidden in the upper room. The Spirit compelled them into the streets of Jerusalem. What changed? Not their personalities. Not their courage. Christ’s love compelled them (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Pentecost is not merely a moment of power. It is a moment of mission.

The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now empowered His people to proclaim Him boldly, joyfully, sacrificially.

Pentecost Today

The same Spirit who filled the early Church fills Christ’s people today. He has not diminished. He has not withdrawn. He has not changed.

Pentecost reminds us that:

• Unity is God’s work, not ours.
• The Gospel is for all nations.
• The Spirit still empowers the Church to proclaim Christ.
• Heaven still reaches down to earth.

As an ancient hymn of the post‑apostolic church declares:

“Filled with the Spirit’s power, with one accord, The infant church confessed its risen Lord. O Holy Spirit, in the church today, No less Your power of fellowship display.”

Benediction

May the Holy Spirit who gathered the nations at Pentecost gather our hearts today. May He unite us in Jesus, embolden us in witness, and fill us with the joy of the risen Christ. And may we rejoice that in Him, we are one—today, tomorrow, and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://lnkd.in/gc--bX66

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book

https://lnkd.in/g664NEdT

"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"