Cups of the Lord

The Cup of Blessings

Psalms 16:5 says, “The Lord is my portion of my inheritance and my cup…” (NAS) What a wonderful blessing, to know that the Lord Himself is our inheritance.

Dr. Dewight Jones tells us that there are some 32 cups mentioned in the Word of God.  We have already looked at “The Cup of Wrath” and “The Cup of Salvation."  Let us now consider “The Cup of Blessing.”

In the Old Testament the “cup” had been applied to the blessedness, to provision and to the joy of the children of God.   It is one thing to give lip serves to the Lord in easy times, but to have a heart that cries, “Thou are my Lord!” even in times of trial is evidence of spiritual maturity and a confidence of having Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Holy Spirit illuminated child of God approaches the throne of God saying this in his heart, “Let me have the love and favor of God and be accepted of Him.  Let me enjoy the comfort of communion with the Lord and the satisfaction of understanding His graces and sustaining love.  Just let me be captivated by His presence and His promise life and rest in my eternal state.  What else is there to desire? What more can a man achieve?  And what surpasses the blessing of being under the blood of Christ?”

Because Jesus is the inheritance of the true believer, the Christian’s heart should be the same as the heart of the man who wrote Psalm 116:12, “How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?”

In 1 Corinthians 10:16 the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian believers about the truths of being under the blood of Christ.  He wanted to relay an authoritative message that said if man has eaten the bread in remembrance of the Body of Christ and drunk the wine in remembrance of His Blood, he cannot then fill his heart and life of wickedness.

There was a splendid statue that was done of Jesus Christ by Thorwaldsen. After he had craved it, he was offered a great deal of money to fashion statue of Venus.  His answer was this, “The hand that carved the form of Christ can never carve the form of a heathen goddess.”

What was true in Corinth at the time of the Apostle Paul’s ministry is also true for today. The Christian who has handled the sacred things of Christ cannot soil his soul with things that God calls wickedness.  He cannot use the talents, spiritual gifts or possessions that the Lord has given him for personal gain, nor for this world’s system of operating, nor surrender them to Satan’s control and expect blessings.

The child of God who knows that He is in Christ walks a life exemplifying that the work of redemption in his life was for the glory of God.  God’s plan and the Lord’s willingness to redeem fallen mankind now enables the sinner who was once bound by sin the freedom to choose a new life that is God- and Christ-centered.  Christians have “Jesus Christ, who gave Himself… to redeem [them] from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:14) The King James Bible says Jesus is “purifying unto Himself a peculiar people…” of whom He has a special interest, literally “His treasured people.”

Is Jesus Christ yours and are you living a life for Him?