All of us have something to say.

That doesn’t mean that everything we have to say is always good.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭NIV, emphasis mine)

We live in a culture that increasingly encourages us to “speak our truth” and tell others what we think. But the Bible is clear that the words we speak should build others up and should meet their needs so that they would benefit.

Ask yourself this question: are others better because I’ve spoken? So often, I think we feel better because we got something off our chests, but I’m not convinced that others are better after our tirades.

Today, put your words through the Ephesians 4:29 filter before you let them pass through your lips. Are my words helpful? Will they build the other person up? Do they address the other person’s needs? Will they benefit the one I’m speaking to?

If the answer to any or most of those is no, perhaps your words would be better left unspoken.

Many sermons have been preached about the first miracle that Jesus performed. It was a stunning display of the power He used to create and a beautiful picture of His compassion for people in tough situations.

Some also say it’s confirmation that Jesus is okay with us drinking wine, but we’ll leave that topic for another time.

The snapshot of the miracle is that the hosts of a wedding party needed more wine, and so Jesus turned water into wine that was better than anything that the hosts could have bought. Cue the wedding band and keep on dancing!

But what strikes me isn’t so much that Jesus provided more and better — what I would call the overflow — but rather what had to happen before He did.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (‭‭John‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NIV, emphasis mine)

Overflow requires a source that doesn’t run out, and we aren’t it. Jesus didn’t provide the miraculous wine until there wasn’t any more wine. It was “when the wine was gone” that the new wine appeared.

Sometimes — okay, more like all the time — we have to get to the end of ourselves to find the overflow. Our sufficiency has limits, but God’s sufficiency is limitless. There is no end to His strength, power, hope, love, grace, forgiveness, provision, and any other attribute you or I would want to add to a list that also has no end.

So, why don’t we live in His overflow more? Simply because we don’t like running out. A lot of us have perfected the art of running low — we’re masters at squeezing in another task or two after the empty light on our energy gauge as come on — but the wine wasn’t running low. It was gone.

So, if you’re in a place where you aren’t running low but have literally found yourself out of gas and sitting on the side of the road, I’ve got great news for you: help is on the way. And Jesus isn’t bringing you a gallon or two of the gas you’re used to, either. Nope, He’s going to hook you up with some out-of-this-world, high octane, Holy Spirit-injected rocket fuel.

Because that’s how He rolls, and when we get a taste of His overflow, it’s how we’ll roll, too.

Something amazing happens in the fourth chapter of John when two tired people meet.

One was a woman choosing to do her chores in the heat of the day rather than in the presence of others. She was tired of the whispers, the accusing glances, and the shame. She was tired of the sun that bore down on her day after day and reminded her that she didn’t deserve the cool air of the morning. If we could sum her condition up in a word, she was tired of being stuck.

The other was a man who was so much more than a man. He was a Son sent to save. A Redeemer sent to rescue. And like the woman, He, too, was tired.

She was tired from hiding. He was tired from searching.

She was tired from the running. He was tired from the journey.

Two tired people met at a well, and something miraculous happened.

They both left refreshed. A once-tired woman ran to tell others about a man who had made her clean, and a Savior who had been tired from the journey found nourishment in doing what He’d been sent to do.

No matter which person you relate to, know this. God isn’t expecting you to do anything more than simply live your life today. And as you do, He will set up encounters that will energize your soul. Watch for it at the coffee shop, the gas station, the gym, the grocery store, or even at home around the table. People on mission will meet people on the mission, and a well of Holy Spirit power will erupt.