Choose The Right Cup

This morning I am thinking of a Pastor I knew who started drinking and stopped ministering. He died that way.

1 Corinthians 9:25-10:6 ESV - "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did."

It is Monday and we have good spiritual food to eat. We are running a race and there are people that need us to keep running it. I plan to find strength in God and not seek to escape reality. We can face challenges with courage. God is faithful. If we are renewed in our mind we will see the provision.

Psalm 116:12-13 ESV - "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD"

If we drink out of God's cup we will win this week. God puts it in front of us so we will partake of it. There is no Earthly substitute.

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The Will Of The One Who Sent Us

 This passage struck me this morning...

"Jesus answered them and said, 'My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or [whether] I speak on My own [authority]. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.' " - John 7:16-18 NKJV

"So Jesus answered them, 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's (His) will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.' " - John 7:16-18 ESV

Jesus is saying that a person who wants to do God's will is going to perceive things differently. That is one quality a second quality is seeking 'the glory of him who sent him'. That has a slightly different flavor.

We don't have to know what we are going to do or even how we are going to accomplish tasks today. We can just have this mindset. We can desire to do His will (live in freedom, apply mercy, function in grace, praise Him in all things, spread the good news, function in integrity, etc...) and that is foundational. Then we can formulate those other things. It is our starting point. We can seek the glory (revealing) of the one who sent us first. 

If we are sending ourselves then we will be selling ourselves but if we are Heaven sent we can reveal Heaven on Earth. Good behavior is not what reveals the righteousness that has been put on our account. According to this passage, revealing the invisible God is what reveals the righteousness given by God.

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