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| Friday, May 06, 2011 |
| Chosen Cup |
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot”(Psalm 16:5).
When we were little we had special ceramic cups.
On the outside of them was written “What’s in the bottom of the cup?” Each cup looked just like the others except in the bottom of each was a different animal—a fish, a cat, a dog. Mom chose the cup for each of us to have and we had to drink all of what was in it to find out who got which animal. Most of the time it worked. Eventually we each developed a favorite and a twinge of jealousy would creep in if a sibling got that animal instead. Human nature.
Mom not only chose what cup we got but how much was in it, and what was in it. Sometimes it was milk, other times juice. As we grew, the amount in the cup increased. Our hands were steadier so we wouldn’t slosh and our bodies were bigger, thus needing more nourishment.
Isn’t that the way it is with the Christian life?
God not only chooses the cup we should bear, but the portion in it. Perhaps they look the same on the outside at first glance, but our cup is designed specifically for us. So is the portion we receive.
Luke 12:48 says,“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (NIV).
The more we grow in faith and trust that God is indeed the One who must be in control of our cup (life), the more we are given to fill it. However, that means we are also carrying a heavier load, because much more is being demanded of us.
There will also be more trials and temptations because we are separating ourselves more and more from the fallen world and our human nature. We talk about God never giving us more than we can bear. That is in the good things as well as the uncomfortable ones. Often times, when all is going great and the road is smooth, we have a tendency to want to be the one to take the wheel and drive.
Or, to stick with the analogy of the cup, we want to choose what goes in it, or worse, take credit for what is inside. We might even feel twinges of jealousy that someone else’s cup is fuller, or be envious of what is in it. But God, like my Mom, has put something good inside, whether it is what we want at the time or not. How often do we whine because we wanted chocolate milk and only got regular or orange juice instead of grape?
Psalm 23 says, “my cup runneth over” (vs. 5b KJV).
The more we trust God to pour what we need into our cup, the more it will overflow. However, this is where the analogy of the “What’s in the bottom of the cup” veers off. Mom would scold us if we sloshed the contents of our cups as we carried them to the table. God, on the other hand, wants us to pour out ourselves for others – to slosh some of His blessings on those around us.
If you ever feel you are getting to the end of God’s blessings for you, what will be in the bottom of your cup? Truth be told, we all have the same thing at the bottom of our cups. It is His Son with nail scarred hands, reaching out for us in love. Receive that, and the cup will fill up again. So, go ahead. Drink in His goodness. There is more where that came from.
Questions: How full is your cup? Why do you think that is?
By : Julie Cosgrove
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posted by Admin @ 5:27 PM   |
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| Wednesday, May 04, 2011 |
| Undangan : KKR PASKAH 2011 LEMBAGA PEMBINAAN UMAT |
"Masukilah dan alamilah Kuasa-Nya dalam..."
KKR PASKAH 2011 LEMBAGA PEMBINAAN UMAT (LPU)
Tema : " Kebangkitan Kristus Pengharapan Kita " (Ayub 19 : 25-27)
Pengkhotbah : Rev. Yunus Leiwakabessy, S.Th, M.Div
M C : Nindy Ellese
Hari, tanggal : Senin, 16 Mei 2011
Pukul : 18.30 WIB
Tempat : Istana Kana, Jl. RP Soeroso No. 24, Menteng - JakPus
dihadiri oleh berbagai kelompok Koor dan vocal group gerejawi
hubungi : Ev. Roy Huwae (021-33096085) & Noortje Tanalepy (0813.87000.844)Labels: Event
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| posted by Admin @ 5:57 PM |
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| Friday, April 22, 2011 |
| No need for comparison |
"Nothing is good or bad but by comparison."
-- Thomas Fuller
We are each unique, so comparing ourselves to others serves no purpose. Even comparing myself to how I was a while back is not usually helpful. Typically, comparison just brings the ego a false sense of either superiority or inferiority.
If we let go of comparison and choose instead to completely accept where we are, we can enjoy both peace and growth.
"Do not judge and you will never be mistaken."
-- Jean Jacques Rousseau Labels: Higher Awareness
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| posted by Admin @ 9:57 PM |
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| Selamat Beribadah Jumat Agung |
Kami Mengucapkan Selamat Mengikuti Ibadah Jumat Agung
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| posted by Admin @ 4:00 AM |
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| Friday, May 29, 2009 |
| HOPE IN GOD |
By : Darren Hewer
We will always experience suffering during our lives here on our fallen Earth. When we experience pain, especially the death of a loved one, our natural response is to question, to ask why, and perhaps even to doubt God. Because it hurts.
Some people will respond to evil they see by denying that evil exists. But what is perhaps easy to say is quite difficult to live, or as C S Lewis put it: "Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later." There is a name for the person who denies good and evil: a sociopath. Clearly the proper response to evil is not denial.
Other people will respond to evil by removing God from the equation. But removing God does not make evil less evil, nor pain less painful. In fact, removing God also removes ultimate hope. Without God, our world seems permanently and irredeemably evil. Without God, there is no ultimate relief from pain, only pain.
With God we cry out to a loving Father who remains with us and comforts us as we hurt and Himself came to Earth as a human being to suffer and die for us. But without God we cry out into the empty void of nothingness that neither hears our cry nor cares for our pain. Removing God results in no gain and much loss.
When we have God in our lives and hearts, we have hope during difficult times and comfort in the midst of tragedy. We have hope grounded in the fact of God's mighty power, His limitless mercy, and everlasting love. No matter what happens, God loves us because God is love. And nothing can separate us from Him.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
Question: What do you need to say to God today in prayer? What questions do you have to ask God?Labels: Darren Hewer
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| posted by Admin @ 9:31 PM |
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