“And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled. Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drank, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.” (LDS 3 Nephi 20:8-9)
What does it mean to be “filled” with the holy ghost? How can a person really know if they are “full”? The idea of being “filled” or “full” can have different meanings. One idea that comes to mind of being “full” is that you continue to eat until you can’t possibly stuff yourself with anything more without making you sick, like with some eating contest. It is a, “if you can fit one bite more, were you already full?” kind of idea. A different idea, is that you can eat a relative amount compared to the demands that are put upon you and be full relative to what is asked of you. If what is required of you is not very strenuous, you can have your fill by eating just a little and it will be sufficient. If the physical demands upon you are great, you’ll likely need more. What your body takes in should be in proportion to what it puts out. Likewise with spiritual things, when much is required out of us, much will be put in. When less is required out, less is needed to be put in. Our personal capacity, however big or small is likely in proportion to the challenges we have faced. As we face greater challenges, our capacity will also become great.
If someone has had their “fill” it often means they’ve had enough. They don’t need any more. Likewise, you can be “filled” with the holy ghost, when you have the holy ghost sufficient to accomplish what God requires of you. If a lot is required to fill you with the holy ghost, your challenges might be great. When little is required of you, perhaps only a little is needed for you to be filled.
That isn’t to say that God won’t give you more. In fact, it is intended to be the opposite. But with giving more of his spirit, the challenges will also be greater. God justifies giving us more when we encounter a challenge that requires more.
On the other hand, if we fail to do what is required, or refuse to accept the challenging circumstances we face, or demand that our circumstances change to something less strenuous, we are in effect self demoting to a less challenging task, whereby less will be required and consequently, less will be provided. This is a fulfilling of the saying that:\
”he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word. And he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God, until they know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries”
or
“Take heed what you hear, for with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that continue to receive, shall more be given; for he that receives, to him shall be given. But he that continues not to receive, from him shall be taken even that which he has.”
There is a lot packed into these verses. I’ll just touch on just a few points. First, how does God take away that which you have? Well, if you’re thinking of material things, your outward circumstances can change. It can also happen pretty easily through moth and dust corrupting or thieves breaking through and stealing, etc… If you’re talking about understanding the mysteries of God, this too can be lost to misunderstanding, corruption of the language, altering the scriptures, forgetting, removal of mysteries, or adding unscrupulous material or otherwise destruction of the scriptural records. Concerning language corruption, often this happens because words come to take on a new meaning over time, which when applied to the scriptures, is less aligned with the original intent. Likewise, people can change or alter the text of scripture, slightly, to provide, at least in their minds, clarification, but in reality the “clarification” is even further from the truth. This can be done by adding or removing things. Since some “clarify” in this manner, others take the same privilege to add their own “clarifications” and over time, the original meaning is further and further away, making it harder and harder for people to ever understand. All the while when this is happening, those involved in making these changes, rejoice at the progress they believe they are making. They see their current interpretations and changes as making real progress, which is often easier for the people to accept because it becomes more and more aligned with the modern world, even as they get further and further away from God.
All the while as this is going on, the test of our spiritual capacity is still happening. What God provides is sufficient for whatever the current test is. The question is, what will people do with what is left of what God actually has provided. For those who see the truth in what remains, more will be given. They will begin to see through the false interpretations and bad changes. As they make sense of what they have, even more things will make sense. It will likely go against the prevailing “wisdom” of the day, but it will draw them closer and closer to understanding God, until they come to understand all the mysteries of God and they know God in full.
The measure of God’s word that is meted to us is always sufficient for what God requires of us. You may have heard it said that, “he to whom much is given, much is required”. That saying is true enough. The reverse of that is also true, or in other words, of whom much is required, much is given. God will always provide sufficient for what he requires. As Nephi put it, “I know that the Lord gives no commands to the children of men, save he shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing which he commands them” (paraphrasing LDS 1 Nephi 3:7).
What God provides is always sufficient for what he requires of you. Often the problem is that we continue to demand more, as if what he has given is not sufficient, even though it really is. We can, in effect, act like spoiled children who make excuses for not having done what is asked, but are always demanding that others do more and provide more, while doing very little with what is provided, claiming it’s not enough. It may not seem like what we have is enough, but God often uses small, even very small means, to accomplish his purposes. By small means, He truly can bring about great things. Rather than demanding, or asking more of God, as if what He has given isn’t enough, perhaps we can do more to express our gratitude for what God has given, even if it is small. Acknowledging and being genuinely appreciative for what you recognize from God can be a way of receiving with gratitude what he gives and perhaps later, having accomplished what God required when we had just a little, more will also be given. In this way, the Lord can work with us, line upon line, precept upon precept, adding to us here a little and there a little.
Right now, today, what God is providing for you, really is sufficient for what He is requiring of you. If it doesn’t seem that way, it most likely is because you either don’t see what God has provided you, or you don’t understand what God is requiring of you. What you think He is requiring and what He is actually requiring may be very different. You may be putting something on yourself, or have something imposed upon you by others, but it is not what God is requiring of you. In this way, God’s burden is “easy” and his burden “light”, because he will always provide the enlightenment that is needed for you to accomplish whatever he asks of you. That is not always true in the world. In fact, men often put burdens on one another that are grievous to be born because the means provided, may not actually be sufficient for all they demand from you. That is never the case with God. He will always provide sufficient for what He asks.
If you do have a correct understanding of what God is asking of you, the other part of that is being able to recognize the means that God is providing you. It is always there, we just have to see it. Because God often uses small means, it might not be what we are expecting. Often, all we need is his word. His word alone can be the guiding light for our feet in the way we need to go.
If you want a greater portion of His spirit, it is also asking for greater challenges for you to face. More of His Spirit will be required to meet His greater demands. In this way, you may be grateful to receive a command from God that stretches you, because you know that it is going to require that you be filled with more of His Spirit than you have ever had before. We may also be grateful for seasons of relative peace, when less is required.
A new command from God to you, may not be in the form of some new, never before heard of requirement. It may simply be that your circumstances change and you are faced with anew challenge that you have never faced before. That can be a new command for you. The new challenge can require a greater portion of the Lord’s spirit than you have ever needed before. He will supply sufficient for whatever He asks you to go through.
You can accomplish hard things, because God will always provide sufficient for whatever he requires of you. Rather than ask that the burden that He has placed upon you be removed, humble yourself to receive His spirit and His strength, to sufficiently accomplish whatever it is that He is requiring of you.