Daily Devo

 

What’s in your cup?

By: Wendy Sanders
Thursday, September 12, 2024

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13


Have you ever had an off day? That was me today... I just felt off. I didn’t feel like I had any fruits of the spirit going on. I just felt blah, living out day-to-day stuff without any thinking or focusing on the Lord. Then, right before I had to go pick up my daughter from a friend’s house, my son had "a teenage moment." Nothing serious, but I knew I had to talk with him about it when I got home. The off day within me wanted to just react, give him the consequences, and be done with it. Instead, I waited a moment, took a breath, and asked the Holy Spirit to lead me. I don’t know why I get surprised when the Spirit shows up, but He did answer me. He gave me the words and the focus I needed to redirect my son back to the truth of God’s love.


I recently read an analogy about a man who held a cup of coffee. Someone bumped into him, and his coffee spilled all over the place. Next, the analogy posed this question, “Why did the coffee spill?” Most would answer "because someone bumped into him." However, that would be incorrect. He spilled coffee because there was coffee inside the cup. It didn’t matter what the cup's contents were, it could have been tea, soda, or juice. What matters is whatever is inside the cup is what will come out of it. To apply that same idea to us; whatever we are filled with, that is what will come out of us when we get "bumped."


Life is full of bumps. When I got bumped with my son's problem, my initial reaction wasn't spiritual. But with the Holy Spirit's help, I was able to spill out love, grace, and kindness towards my son. Some bumps may knock you down, some may shatter your cup, while others only seem like nudges. The question is, when we get bumped, what will come out of our cup? Will it be bitterness, rage, and anger? Or will it be peace, forgiveness, and love? When we spend time with the Lord and seek Him, we are filled with Jesus. When we're full of Jesus, God will spill out of us onto others!


The next time you're having an off day like I did, pause, and ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.






Scripture references from NIV unless otherwise noted.