Thursday, January 24, 2013

Will You Accept Your Portion of Inheritance from the Lord?

One of my coffee cups
 
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. . . my cup runneth over.  Psalm 23: 1, 5a

The 23rd Psalm is one of my favorite passages of Scripture for comfort and encouragement. I
read it in its entirety almost every day.  My cup runneth over makes me think of blessings
running over in abundance. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 

I love the affirmation expressed by these words of confident hope.
This week, the word cup captured my attention and spurred me on a search. I'll share some of my questions with you.

What exactly is our cup?
I learned in the Psalms that the cup can be one of wrath and suffering, and then again one of salvation.  (See Psalm 116:13)  And it comes from the hand of the Lord.

In the hand of the Lord there is a cup . . . Psalm 75:8

Jeremiah 16:7 talks about a cup of consolation.

Is our cup then, our portion that we need from the Lord for a particular time?

As Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, he said . . .
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:  nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:39.

Jesus was exceedingly sorrowful, and praying on His face.  So that cup was a cup of suffering. He knew what he had to do, and He accepted it as the will of God.

When the band of officers came to get Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, Simon Peter drew his sword and slashed off the high priest’s servant’s ear. (See John 18:10-11).  Consider the words of our Lord to Peter.

Put up thy sword into the sheath:  the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

The cup then I perceive comes from the hands of God the Father, and it is His will.

Jesus said Shall I not drink it?  

Then who am I to question the portion that is given to me?

Whatever comes to us from His hand is our portion.  Be it salvation, abundant blessings, consolations, or suffering, it is His will for us at that moment in time.

And there is yet another cup I read of in the Scriptures—the cup of the new covenant.

We have Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For wherever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  1 Corinthians 11: 26-27

He offers us the new covenant in His blood.

Will we accept the cup from His hand?

Jesus trusted God the Father and took the cup.  Will we not do the same?  Accept our portion that comes from the hand of God?  Knowing that He satisfies the deepest needs of our soul.

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup. . .  Psalm 16:5a

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 
 
Thank you so much for visiting Write Moments with God today.  Might you consider leaving a comment?  I'd love to read what you have to say.  God's peace be with you. 
 Beautiful picture by Eileen DeCamp

8 comments:

  1. Rose, this is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this devotion, like a cup of morning warmth for me today. May we accept our cup today, the contents as flavorful and unique as each one reading, and may we walk in obedience, following the example of Jesus.

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  2. Thank you Shari. I'm glad you were blessed. We can trust the One who gives us our cups. Blessings to you running over.

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  4. Rose, Christ is my ROCK and my JOY! I am so thankful to finally KNOW without any second of doubt that Christ holds me and chose me to be His child. Living waters are always flowing from my cup---even in sufferings and trials! What a profound blessing to enjoy His presence everywhere I go and to know I have access to His wisdom and guiding light at any moment! I stand undeserving of His saving grace. It's such a blessing to share with you! I miss you, dear friend.

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  5. What wonderful words of life! Thank you so much for writing this comment. What a beautiful testimony! I appreciate so much your kind words and your friendship.

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  6. Rose, I really appreciated this thought-provoking post, pointing out the different ways 'cup' is used in Scripture. What a good question to ask ourselves: will we accept the cup from His hand?

    Blessings on you as you teach, write, share, live your life in Christ!

    Elizabeth

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  7. I am delighted to read your comment Elizabeth. I appreciate your kind words and encouragement always. May the Lord be with you as well as you are doing the same things for His glory.

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