Advent Reflections

December 19th

“God has assigned me my portion and my cup…” Psalm 16:5

I only watched The Passion of the Christ once, but the opening scene remains embedded in my mind. In this scene Jesus is agonizing in the garden. He asks God if this cup can be removed from him, but if not may the Father’s will be done. Satan is lurking in the shadows, hoping Christ will back out and accept his offer of the world, which he is prince of. When Christ submits to God’s will, He arises. He crushes Satan, who is then slithering around as a snake. It is a powerful statement. In a matter of minutes Jesus goes from sweating drops of blood to crushing the plan of the enemy.
There are cups God assigns to all of us. Sometimes the contents taste bitter and are difficult to swallow. I have a cup He has assigned me that I have wanted to give back many times. Honestly I’ve tried throwing it back at him. Psalm 16 is His reminder to me that I need to choose to receive this cup with gladness. When I do, I am able to overcome my poor attitudes, self-pity, and pride.
Jesus’ cup was assigned before he was born. He chose to receive it with joy. Mary, his mother, made the same choice to receive God’s cup in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem, only to watch him suffer and die on a cross years later. Both received horribly bitter cups, but look at the results.
May we willingly receive the cup He chooses for us. What tastes bitter at first will produce fruit in our lives as we follow Jesus. He has called us to a delightful inheritance.