“My cup runneth over”
In David’s day, an overflowing cup was a sign that the host of the meal wanted you to stay as long as possible. If they kept refilling your cup, they wanted you to stay. An empty cup was a sign they wanted you to leave. As long as you were wanted, your cup was filled to overflowing. David wrote, “My cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5). The Shepherd, Jesus, fills your cup to overflowing.
God gives more than we need.
When you see life from the demand side, the cup is never quite full. But David found another side. He saw the supply side of life. The cup is filled and overflowing.
In our day, a cup can describe a person’s attitude about life. Are you a cup half full or half empty kind of person? David had another option. He was a cup overflowing kind of guy. The Lord was his shepherd, and he was not in want. In fact, life was overflowing. David did not have a problem free life. But he chose to praise God for all He had done for him – not because life was always good but because God was always good.
I thought about areas of my life in which my cup is running over. Here’s a partial list:
- I have a family that loves me and I can never spend enough time with.
- I have more friends than I can spend time with.
- I have more opportunities to help people than I can possible pursue.
- I have more music in my collection than I can listen to.
- I have more books than I’ll ever have time to read.
- I have more answered prayers than I can remember.
- I have been forgiven more times than I can count.
Where is your life overflowing with God’s blessings?
God gives more because He loves us.
The image of an overflowing cup, in the language of the Bible, refers to the lavish abundance and generosity of God. No drips, trickles or small portions. It’s not rationed. God pours rivers of living water, waterfalls of His grace. If we give gifts to show our love, how much more does God enjoy giving to us?
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” Eph. 3:20
God is not a stingy God. He is a giving God who gives more than I could ever ask or think. He is the God of so much more.
Here’s something hard to understand. If you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Rocky Mountains would be as majestic, the Caribbean would be as beautiful, the sunsets would be as breathtaking. God would not diminish the earth’s beautify or nature’s wonder if it was just for you. In fact, He did it all just for you.
God gives more than we deserve.
Sometimes we focus so much on what we want that we lose sight on what we have. One way to combat that is to get in the habit of practicing gratitude on a regular basis.
Gratitude is the fundamental religious emotion. Some start their day with prayers of gratitude, others keep a gratitude journal. I think it’s good to express gratitude.
Crabby people will find reasons to be crabby. Whatever the weather is, they will complain. Even if it starts off beautiful, they will find something bad. By contrast, grateful people will find reasons to be grateful. April showers bring May flowers. Chose to see the blessings.
God gives more so we can give more.
The Christian life is the overflowing life. Our work for the Lord is simply the overflow of our walk with Him.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Rom. 15:13
God is not wasteful of His blessings. Why does He give us more? Could it be that the overflow is designed to be poured out to others? Let us hold our cups so that the overflow will not run to waste, but will drop into other cups, the cups of those who don’t have as much as we have.
So what can we do?
- Thank and trust God. Thank Him for what He has done and trust Him for what He is going to do.
- If you have benefited from God’s generosity, it becomes your obligation to let others benefit from your generosity.
- If your cup is overflowing, get a bigger cup.
Because Jesus drained His cup, ours can overflow. All our blessings in this life and the next – all were purchased for us by the Good Shepherd when He laid down His life for His sheep. Our cup is one of overflowing joy because His cup was one of overflowing sorrow.