“So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’ ” John 18:11
“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.’ ” Matthew 26:39
Jesus had a cup to drink (destiny, duty) presented to him by His Father which included dying on the cross and accepting the wrath of God for our sins. It was the most difficult cup to bear that anyone ever faced. Even the Son of God asked the Father to permit it to pass. That was not possible in God’s plans and Jesus intended to drink the cup for us and in obedience to the Father.
The same fortitude and patience is demanded of all followers of Christ. We should be prepared to endure the crosses of life that God puts in front of us and do our duty by enduring them with faith in God’s grace to see us through. Where sin abounds, God’s grace much more abounds (Romans 5:20). All of the crosses we bear, and everyone bears some, are caused by sin. Some our own sin, some sins done to us by others and some just by the presence of sin in our mortal bodies which allows for things such as diseases and sicknesses. In all cases, God’s grace is sufficient for us to endure the hard times and problems caused by sin.
In looking back over my life, I can attest that God’s grace is sufficient. When I have gone through seasons of distress for one reason or another, some caused by others, some by sicknesses, most by my own sin, God has given me grace. My favorite saying has been that God gives compensations in life. If he gives problems or hard times they seem to always be offset by some especially good things happening in my life at the same time.
God is always sufficient. His grace to us is always sufficient. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:9-10
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