Matthew 20:22<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut Jesus answered and said, \u2018You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?\u2019 They said to Him, \u2018We are able.\u2019 \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heaven has a plan and a pattern for those who will be promoted in the kingdom, and this is firmly tied to the life and model of Jesus. Only those who will submit to the yoke of Jesus, and willingly choose to drink of His cup and enter His baptism; only such qualify for the position of promotion in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cup and baptism includes carrying the cross of humility and humiliation, suffering and separation. It involves rejecting self-centeredness and self-exaltation. It also includes resisting sin even unto death. It means choosing silence over self-defense; and living in total obedience on God, irrespective of personal feelings or preferences. While James and John were quick to say that they were able, even in that answer they had failed, because no man is able to drink of the cup of Jesus without the enablement of God. May God grant us the same enablement granted Jesus so that we may likewise enter into His place of exaltation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cO Father, if Jesus needed heavenly strengthening in order to make it through heaven\u2019s protocol, I need it much more. Strengthen me with divine grace to walk the walk of Jesus; that I may thereafter enter into the promotion earmarked for those who walk with Him. This I pray for, in Jesus name. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Matthew 20:22 \u201cBut Jesus answered and said, \u2018You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?\u2019 They said to Him, \u2018We are able.\u2019 \u201c Heaven has a plan and a pattern for those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-reflections-from-matthew"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t