Drinking Your Cup
When Jesus finished the Last Supper with His disciples, they all went out to the Garden of Gethsemane. That was the place where Jesus often prayed with His disciples. Judas knew that so, he brought soldiers to arrest Jesus there in private like He agreed to do when he decided to betray Jesus. When Peter knew what was happening, he cut off the ear of one of the high priest's servants to try to stop the arrest. However, Jesus told Peter to put up his sword, and he healed the man's ear. Jesus used a question to show why He was not going to stop them from taking Him. (John 18:11) He asked Peter, "Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given Me?" This goes back to His earlier prayer when He asked the Father if there was a way for the cup to be taken from Him. The Father said no, and Jesus accepted His will wholeheartedly. The question for us, as believers, is "Will we drink the cup the Father has for us?"
Jesus used the word "cup" because it denoted Him experiencing what God had for Him. By drinking the cup Jesus was fully taking into Himself what God had laid out for Him. It was a bitter cup with much suffering, but it was very important for Him to drink it. He was the only One who could die for the sins of the world and rise again for our salvation. Jesus knew that, and He did it graciously. God has a cup for each of us to drink. He has a plan for our life. Once we get saved, we are to carry out His will for us. That is our cup. It could be a sweet cup of great blessings, or it could be a bitter cup. However, it is not for us that we drink it. It is for others, like the cup Jesus drank. We are to love others, and to give our lives in service to those around us, so they can come to the Lord. Yes, we will receive blessings, but it will not all be pleasant. There will be times of hardship and suffering. These things are necessary based on God's will for all people. Let's determine to be like Jesus and drink our cup with grace, so God can use us to touch many lives.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read John 19-21.