Matthew 26:39

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’ ”

Following Jesus isn’t easy and anyone who says it’s easy is not telling the complete truth. While in a sense we can say it is easy because God gives the grace to follow, yet the process of ensuring you keep following Him can be very tough. For those who choose to live by the will of the Father in the ways of Jesus, the cup we are sometimes expected to drink can be very difficult. For example, Jesus expects us to “love our enemies,” and anyone who says he does this easily and naturally has not yet known an enemy or experienced the wrath of an enemy. So we are called to follow Jesus by drinking the cup of obedience at all times, and this is not always easy to do.

Even Jesus our Lord struggled with the cup. In negotiating with the Father, Jesus had to say, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” indicating the inner struggles He went through to embrace the cup His Father gave Him to drink. If it was tough for Jesus, how much more will it be for you and I? The truth is that every cup God gives us to drink is the best thing for us in that situation, even though in reality, it still is a rough ride. Every time we drink the cup of obedience, we die further to Self and God is thereby glorified. Every time we flee from the cup, God is saddened and our willful Old Life is fortified. It’s a tough cup, but it is such a needful cup to drink.

“Father, I am struggling today and I have struggled for many days and on many occasions concerning the cup placed before me. However, Lord, as You helped Jesus, please help me for I must drink the cup You bring to me. Amen.”