Title - "Me and My Big Mouth"
Scripture - "Jesus said to them, 'Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?' 'We can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or my left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father".
Observation - Jesus is asking a tough question to his disciples in response to the Mother of the Son's of Zebedees request to have her sons sit at Jesus right and left in his kingdom. Before he answers the question, he asks them a question that seems to represent, would they be worthy of such an honor? "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" (Jesus sufferings V. 18-19). They say "We can!", Verse 22. As I was reading these verses the thought occurred to me, they have little understanding of what Jesus would suffer in the near future and they haven't a clue, what the personal cost of drinking from Jesus cup would be to each of them beyond the cross and resurrection. (All but one of the Apostles would die a martyrs death). They said, "They could", Jesus said, "They would", but did they really understand what it meant? Not fully!
Application - Some time after God called me into ministry, my pastor took me to coffee and asked me, "Do you see yourself doing what I am doing 20 years from now"? I said, "Yes I do", and I still am, but when I said it, though my commitment has not waivered, I had no idea of the personal cost, and really had no idea what I was saying. But, God has been faithful, and has helped me "keep that which I have commited to him". John 16:12 , Jesus said, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear". Jesus is wise not to tell us eveything that we might encounter in the future because of our obedience, yet kind and loving, to accept our offerings, commitment and love that comes from our present level of maturity!
Prayer - "Thank you Jesus, that you see my heart in my commitment to you, even before I am ready to live what I have commited to you. Lord, I often speak with out thinking through what I have said, but if it represents your will for my life, may I never be silent. But if I speak from a prideful heart, then cleanse me and teach me to be, 'quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.' In Jesus name, Amen"!
Oct 21, 2009 3:58 PM
