Fill my cup, Lord
I lift it up, Lord
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul
Bread of Heaven, feed me ’til I want no more
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole

Matthew 5:1-12, The Message

You’re Blessed

^1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

^11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When we come to the end of what we think we control, we are blessed when we realize that Only God is truly in control. He loved us before we first loved Him.  He knows how our current frustrations and temporary circumstances will pan out.  And He knows our hearts and fills them when we ask to be filled.  This “filling” controls our appetites for wanting more than we need while blessing us with God’s character traits.  This filling comes with calling for the help of God’s Spirit. This is God’s blessed assurance.

Those days when we feel those closest to us, those we thought we could depend on to love us unconditionally betray us; we feel so lost.  Then when we realize there is One who never leaves or betrays us, always loves us no matter what others think we are, what we have done, or been accused of.  The One and Only offers love that is relentless, unconditional, unchanging, and unshakable.  God never turns His back on us, never leaves us, and is faithful to forgive us as we turn to face His Son who forgives us of all our sins—our sins, not in part but the whole, to be remembered no more!  This is the blessing!

When we care and are still rejected, keep caring because the blessing comes in the obedience of showing God’s compassionate love to all people whether they receive what you have to give from God or not.    

To be content is a daily work of offering ourselves to God, asking what He wants. God’s Holy Spirit then guides us to what is true, what is right for us to do at any given moment with what is necessary for us in our maturity and growth.  The blessing is realized when we see the fruit bearing of His labor of love in us.  (See Galatians 5 for the list of fruits of God’s character traits.)

Lean into these “blessings”, described by Max Lucado as “Sacred Delight”;

“Sacred delight is good news coming through the back door of your heart. It’s what you’d always dreamed but never expected. It’s the too-good-to-be-true coming true. It’s having God as your pinch-hitter, your lawyer, your dad, your biggest fan, and your best friend. God on your side, in your heart, out in front, and protecting your back. It’s hope where you least expected it: a flower in life’s sidewalk.

It is sacred because only God can grant it. It is a delight because it thrills. Since it is sacred, it can’t be stolen. And since it is delightful, it can’t be predicted.

It was this gladness that danced through the Red Sea. It was this joy that blew the trumpet at Jericho. It was this secret that made Mary sing. It was this surprise that put the springtime into Easter morning.

It is this sacred delight that Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount.

Nine times he promises it. And he promises it to an unlikely crowd:

‘The poor in spirit . . . those who mourn . . . the meek . . . those who hunger and thirst . . . the merciful . . . the pure in heart . . . the peacemakers . . . those who are persecuted . . .’.

It is to this band of pilgrims that God promises a special blessing. A heavenly joy. A sacred delight.”

Who we are, how we respond to life stuff good or bad, reflects the measure of what is in our hearts.  We are blessed if Jesus is Lord of our hearts, minds, and souls. 

Lord,

I pray all the readers of Your Word with me today realize all your blessings as a sacred delight from you all day long and into the night.  May we wake tomorrow and the next with you on our minds first of all.  This world has nothing to offer, nothing that satisfies our real longings when compared to you.  And now we know why—because it is You we long for most. Where we are now is not our final home.  Who we are is still a work in progress.  Continue working on me. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

Like the woman at the well
I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy
And then I heard my Savior speaking
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry”

Fill my cup, Lord
I lift it up, Lord
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul
Bread of Heaven, feed me ’til I want no more
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole

There are millions in this world
Who are craving
The pleasures, earthly things of gold
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord

Fill my cup, Lord
I lift it up, Lord
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul
Bread of Heaven, feed me ’til I want no more
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole
Here’s my cup, fill it up and make me whole

(By Richard Blanchard; Fill My Cup, Lord lyrics © Word Music, Llc)