Chosen Cup
Are you searching for purpose in life? You can find meaning today.
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot”(Psalm 16:5).
When we were little we had special ceramic cups. On the outside of them was written “What’s in the bottom of the cup?” Each cup looked just like the others except in the bottom of each was a different animal—a fish, a cat, a dog. Mom chose the cup for each of us to have and we had to drink all of what was in it to find out who got which animal. Most of the time it worked. Eventually we each developed a favorite and a twinge of jealousy would creep in if a sibling got that animal instead. Human nature.
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Mom not only chose what cup we got but how much was in it, and what was in it. Sometimes it was milk, other times juice. As we grew, the amount in the cup increased. Our hands were steadier so we wouldn’t slosh and our bodies were bigger, thus needing more nourishment.
Isn’t that the way it is with the Christian life? God not only chooses the cup we should bear, but the portion in it. Perhaps they look the same on the outside at first glance, but our cup is designed specifically for us. So is the portion we receive.
Luke 12:48 says,“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (NIV).
The more we grow in faith and trust that God is indeed the One who must be in control of our cup (life), the more we are given to fill it. However, that means we are also carrying a heavier load, because much more is being demanded of us.
There will also be more trials and temptations because we are separating ourselves more and more from the fallen world and our human nature. We talk about God never giving us more than we can bear. That is in the good things as well as the uncomfortable ones. Often times, when all is going great and the road is smooth, we have a tendency to want to be the one to take the wheel and drive.
Or, to stick with the analogy of the cup, we want to choose what goes in it, or worse, take credit for what is inside. We might even feel twinges of jealousy that someone else’s cup is fuller, or be envious of what is in it. But God, like my Mom, has put something good inside, whether it is what we want at the time or not. How often do we whine because we wanted chocolate milk and only got regular or orange juice instead of grape?
Psalm 23 says, “my cup runneth over” (vs. 5b KJV).
The more we trust God to pour what we need into our cup, the more it will overflow. However, this is where the analogy of the “What’s in the bottom of the cup” veers off. Mom would scold us if we sloshed the contents of our cups as we carried them to the table. God, on the other hand, wants us to pour out ourselves for others – to slosh some of His blessings on those around us.
If you ever feel you are getting to the end of God’s blessings for you, what will be in the bottom of your cup? Truth be told, we all have the same thing at the bottom of our cups. It is His Son with nail scarred hands, reaching out for us in love. Receive that, and the cup will fill up again. So, go ahead. Drink in His goodness. There is more where that came from.
Questions: How full is your cup? Why do you think that is?
Metal is beautiful. I work with copper and it shines and has a nice colour to it. We put a stamp on each part (Part number and the week of the year it has been made) I imagine the same would be for a cup. Do you hold it proudly and humility for your Lord. Your body… is the cup of the Lord because it has His stamp on it with all the specification on it so that others can find out where you come from and the date of birth which could be your testimony.
Mother sculptures lives.
Mother’s Day, is the one time. we treat mom like we should everyday.
God gives mothers love that they multiply that love, each day, into our lives.
Mothers are a symbol of love and diligent, optimism and expectations.
Mother is the person who does more for you, than you deserve,
This is the first Mother’s Day in my life when my mom is in Heaven, so instead of me calling her or taking her out to eat; now all I can do is remember the many blessings she gave me over and over again!
I am with you Maddie, it’s as if I wrote that same note that you wrote. Yes God is still in control and God’s love is in my cup too. Bless You!
Thank you Julie. I’m guilty lately of looking at what’s in other people’s cups and feeling envious because my cup doesn’t seem to be as full or as glamorous as others. Thank you for reminding me that what I have in my cup is good. God is indeed in control. Although lately I’ve been feeling like my life is definitely out of control. I feel like my lot is a lot heavier than others. It’s exactly like what Mother Theresa said “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t
trust me so much.” There have been many days when I wish God didn’t trust me so much! Be blessed!
Happy Mother’s day to all mothers!
Thank you Julie. I’m guilty lately of looking at what’s in other people’s cups and feeling envious because my cup doesn’t seem to be as full or as glamorous as others. Thank you for reminding me that what I have in my cup is good. God is indeed in control. Although lately I’ve been feeling like my life is definitely out of control. I feel like my lot is a lot heavier than others. It’s exactly like what Mother Theresa said “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t
trust me so much.” There have been many days when I wish God didn’t trust me so much! Be blessed!
The strength of Grace is immeasurable.
Grace comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Grace is the love of God in action.
Grace sees beyond your failures.
Grace entwines the lives of the believers.
His Grace is sufficient for whatever He allows in your life!
Hi Julie, Another devo ~ written by you ~ and loved by me! After the morning chat, I couldn’t help but sing “The best part of waking up, is Jesus in my cup! Like the Folgers commercial. I love coffee, lol, but I sure love Jesus MORE! My cup is overflowing, and it’s because it’s filled to the brim w/ Jesus! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’m blessed by your devotional this morning. Lori :)
What a beautiful devotional today! Thank you for sharing your cup with us today!
The attribute of God that I read today was glory. And this was one of the verses from The Message
2Cor. 1:20 ¶ Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.
I agree Jesus is at the bottom of the cup, what never ending glory.
I had to really think on this, as mr trials in myarriage at this te seem to be blinding me. My cup is very full-2 healthy, beautiful children, a job position that allows for me to take care of my family, my other family healthy and prosering.
I’m blessed!
This is encouraging! Ties in with something I read recently (could’ve been this website!) “God can’t fill your hands with riches if they are already full”…..share those blessings; help carry the load for someone else. I pray dear Lord that I can live by those words today!