The Overflowing Cup

Exodus 20:1-2  

"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, 

which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 

out of the house of bondage."

    Suppose, that there will be a series of questions each person is asked when his or her time on Earth has come to an end. Among those questions are "were you an honest person?" and "did you make time to study God’s Word?" One of them might also be "did you anticipate salvation?" In other words, were you an optimist? Did you anticipate that things could get better and that God would help you? 

    You may be thinking is that really fair? How can God expect us to have a rosy outlook on life all the time? We all know people who seem to be born that way, always smiling, always with a cheerful disposition. But then there are some who seemingly have been born on the opposite end of the spectrum. As one person once said, "I don’t just see the glass as half-empty instead of half-full. I see the glass as half-empty and worry that someone is going to come along and knock it over!" Some people are just drawn toward thinking negatively. Is that wrong? Of course it is! 

    Why? Think about what is not said in this commandment. God does not refer to Himself as the Creator of the world, He commands that we know Him as the God who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Why? Because we are commanded to know God not just as the Creator of the world, but as the Savior of our individual lives! 

    We are commanded to believe in a God who hears our prayers and cares deeply for us. We are instructed to believe in a God who can and will help us out of our own personal bondage, our own trials and difficulties. So can God command us to be optimistic about life? Yes, because to believe in the God who took the Israelites out of Egypt is to believe that God can perform miracles for us, too! He expects that level of faith and commitment from us. 

    So next time you come across that glass, don’t see it as half-empty or even as half-full. See it as filling up and believe that it will run over! "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever," (Ps. 23:5-6). 

Amen!

Reading: (Ps. 23)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry