Cup…it’s a simple word really, with many definitions, but the first thing that come to mind is an object you pour a beverage into. Webster’s defines a cup as, “a small vessel of capacity, used commonly to drink out of.” The phrase, “a small vessel of capacity” is a striking statement because, as we look at our own lives, that’s exactly what we are…small vessels of capacity. We are GOD’s cups.
JESUS told told the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25,26 (KJV) “Woe unto you…for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”
David, the great king of Israel, who beautifully orchestrated so many of the Psalms, knew what it meant to be the LORD’s cup. Three times in the Psalms, he alludes to the portion of a cup. In Psalm 11:6 (KJV) “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.”
Then in Psalm 16:5 (KJV) “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:”
And finally the most famous Psalm of all…Psalm 23:5 (KJV) “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.”
Each and every one of us is a small vessel, or cup, into which GOD wants to pour HIS SPIRIT, but that can only happen when we allow HIM to do so. All too often, we choose to fill our own cups, never realizing what GOD is wanting to fill us with.
Why not take some times today and examine what your cup is brimming with? Then think about what GOD desires to fill you with. Perhaps you’ll find yourself in one of these categories.
You worry, while GOD wants to supply you with peace.
You choose resentment, but GOD wants to teach you how to love.
You allow yourself to be overcome with greed as you try to keep up with “The Jones” but easily forget that GOD has supplied all of your needs.
Sometimes you allow anger to reign when GOD is asking you to forgive…because HE first forgave you.
Frustration boils over and you damage important relationships, but GOD wants to instill patience in you to endure those hardships.
You busy yourself with work to avoid anymore heartaches, when GOD says rest and be still. It is then that you can know HE is GOD.
Areas of your life are continually being affected by bitterness, which is quickly spreading like a cancer within you, when if you just stopped focusing on your pain, you could see GOD’s blessings as you walk with HIM.
There are days your cup is overrun with hopelessness, but GOD says HE will give you hope and an expected end.
Trials of life can bring so much sadness, but GOD is there asking you to let HIM to restore the joy of HIS salvation.
None of us can ever be a completely empty vessel. We must be filled with something. It’s our nature. It’s how we function. Just like a car needs gas, oil and so many other parts to run…we need something to occupy our hearts, minds and souls with. Think about it. Have you ever really been able to stop feeling or thinking or just being? Of course not!! GOD did not create us that way. HE created us to be bursting with HIS greatness.
So, how do we keep from filling our cups ourselves? How do we allow GOD to pour HIS majesty into us? It’s simple really. Where we allow our cups to be filled depends on where we go when life overwhelms us. Are we turning to the world? Finding our answers in magazines or horoscopes. Perhaps you look to Oprah or Dr. Phil, when the first place you should turn to is the WORD. GOD breathed HIS Word into the pens of men so that you might find a way to fill your cup with something better than the world has to offer. HE’s there waiting to mold you and shape you. HE is the potter and you are the clay…but what goes into your cup is up to you.
As you ponder this thought today, maybe it’s time to empty your cup of whatever you’ve allowed to be poured in and be filled with GOD desires for you. Maybe your cup is like David’s and overflowing. However, wherever you find yourself today, just take a moment…be still and know HE is GOD….if you do this, I know you’ll find a cup full of something more satisfying than you ever expected.