Elemental: S2 - Day 24

Luke 22:20
“…after the supper he took the cup, saying,  ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood,  which is poured out for you.’”
 
So, what is in this “cup of God’s wrath,” and  who made it? We have all the clues to  figure it out.
We know Jesus died from our sins on the  cross of Calvary. (1 Corinthians 15:3) In fact,  1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in  His body on the tree…” So when Jesus asks that  the cup be taken away, He means our sins. This  “cup of wrath” is the trigger moment when God  decided to let us go and abandon us to the world  of our own making. And Jesus drank it for us.

If you think your cup is not so bad, the Bible  reminds us that we all have sinned (Romans  3:23) and that even our best days add up to  filth, garbage, and excrement. (Isaiah 64:6)  We made this cup. And it is filled with caustic  trash. Do you want to know what would happen  if you drank your cup? Watch Jesus implode,  inside out, on the cross.
 
I mentioned that this is the second cup  described in the New Testament. The first is  the cup of the covenant, the blood of Jesus’  sacrifice. He introduced it to us at the last  supper. And as Jesus holds it aloft in His hands,  He announces that He will not drink from the  cup of the covenant again until we are all safely  together in His kingdom. (Matthew 26:29) He  signals a trade. From here forward, we will drink  His cup, and He drinks and dies from ours.
 
So, if the cup of Revelation 14 is my stanky,  death-filled cup that Jesus drinks at the cross,  and if there’s a time coming when God will let  us go to our decisions, whichever cup we choose  to hold, what idiot wouldn’t trade for the cup of  salvation? Actually, lots of us idiots.  But don’t miss the point. This whole cup  metaphor is an exercise of freedom. You and I  get to choose.
You know the saying, “You can lead a horse  to water (or a cup), but you can’t make him  drink.” If God lets me go, it will be because I  insist on it.

Oh, and if, by chance, my neighbor Fred  doesn’t realize this situation is happening and  that he doesn’t have forever to exercise his  freedom, wouldn’t you think a loving God would  at least send someone to warn him? Yeah, I do.
 
1. What was the last purchase you made  that you second-guessed sometime later? 2. What is an area of your life you are working  to improve?
3. What would you like to say to Jesus,  knowing the trade He makes for you?