The Two Cups of God Study continued

You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the LORD’S right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory. (Habakkuk 2:16 NKJV)

            We were meant for GLORY!  We were meant to walk with God and to share in His love and life.  We were created to lift up and to make the world, each other, and please God through our shared love and our worship of God.

            But we settled for our own glory and that led to our own shame.  Is there anything more shameful than to see someone taking all the credit for a win or a success?  Their self promotion deflates us and in the end themselves. 

            But one who lifts up others in their celebration lifts us all up and makes us all feel stronger and better about ourselves.  That is why we like to wear shirts or hats from winning teams.  They make us feel stronger and better as though we are a part of their victory.  How much more so when they include the fans as a reason for their victory!

            God wanted us to join together with Him in service and in love so that God would be lifted up and all of us would be drawn up with Him!  (John 12:32)

            Again we see that the cup is in the hand of God.  But this time it is in the Lord’s Right hand which we now understand is Jesus!  Jesus who offers those who have faith in Him offers Holy Communion, but to those who do not come to Jesus He brings shame and exposure.

You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion. (Psalms 60:3 NKJV)

            The ways of God seem so hard to us when they really are very easy.  The way is easy; walking in it is what is hard.  The way of God is so simple we seek to make it harder just as Eve did in the Garden.  God’s call to not eat the Fruit became a call to no eat or to even touch it.

            All of us find ways to make the path harder, usually for others.  We find something we don’t have trouble with and make that the BIG sin.  Jesus summed it up very simply that our sin is our failure to love God and to love each other.  (Matthew 22:36-40)  If we will just do that than religion and its terrible troubles melts into a relationship with God.

            So we confuse ourselves with so many religions that we can no longer tell them apart.  We even seek to make Christianity a religion when by its meaning, to become like Christ, states its purpose is relationship not religion!

            Here we see that our confusion can come from God!  Notice this confusion is for God’s own people.  If we will not follow God’s plan and teaching from the written Word we also will not follow the Living Word Jesus Christ.  So God lets us drink the wine of confusion to call us back to the Living Word by drawing us to the written Word to end our confusion.