Freedom In A Cup

My kids loved the movie Open Season. One of their favorite lines from the movie is when Elliot drinks some coffee that he found in the dumpster and says, “(sip) ew. (sip) Ew. (sip) EW! (flying off the handle with the jolt of caffeine) It’s terrible and wonderful at the same time! It’s freedom in a cup!!!”

Now, being the coffee connoisseur I am, that line has stuck with me. It also could be that all three of my kids have taken turns quoting this line in character, oh, let’s say a hundred times or so, but whatever the case, it’s an interesting line….

Although with no comedic tone, I say something similar in my mind almost every time I read the following verse in each of the gospel accounts:

“He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not

possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it,

may Your will be done.’”

Matthew 26:42

Ew. Talk about being terrible and wonderful at the same time.

Terrible for Jesus, wonderful for us.

Terrible that He knew how painful it would be to die on the cross.

Wonderful that He did the will of the Father anyway.

The cup of obedience to death meant freedom to live for us.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 8:36

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened

again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

What should we do with this freedom then? LIVE like we’ve been freed, that’s what! Before we were slaves to sin, now we’re not if we are saved ones. It says so in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

See? Even when we’re tempted by sin, we’ve been given the power and the freedom to escape it. Can I hear an Amen? Raise the roof!

What cup has He given you to drink right now?

Are you willing to submit your will to His will?

Can you find the wonderful in the midst of the "ews" of your circumstances?

Remember His cup and ponder your own each time you sip your terrible but wonderful at the same time java (or tea) each morning. It’s so easy to keep the knowledge of our Savior’s sacrifice tucked away in the corner of our minds, but if we reflect on it day after day, it will surely soak in and change us from the inside out as a result. As we receive pleasure according to His will, let's thank Him. As we endure pain according to His will, let's follow Christ’s example.

Let’s live, breathe and obey in freedom as FREED ones, friends. It’s the only thing better than a coffee buzz.

“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,

He cannot die again;

death no longer has mastery over Him.

The death He died, He died to sin once for all;

but the life He lives, He lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin

but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 6:9-11

He Has Overcome!

It's Word-Filled Wednesday!!! I'm so thankful that, when the ick of life comes, I have Christ in me. "Greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world." (1st John 4:4b) Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your indescribable gift!

The Message translation of this verse and the ones preceding it is fabulous:

John 16:31-33 (The Message)

Jesus answered them, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."

For more Word-Filled Wednesday and for visual inspiration from Scripture, hike on over to:






In the Key of HE,

Dorito Brain Damage

Leaving ocean waves behind today to discuss brain waves. And yes, me wants to discuss Doritos.

Ahhhhhh, Doritos...I used to eat 'em by the handfuls after school as a kid. I would start with one, and before I knew it, half the bag was gone. It never seemed to be enough. I wasn't hungry for more, but my taste buds wanted more, ya know?

Even today, the crunch, the munch, the absolute glorious taste of a Dorito chip overwhelms me. I can't eat them often, because as a person with hypothyroid AND as a former binger set free, I can only allow myself these fattening, unhealthy pleasures sparingly.

Yesterday was that day. Oh myyyyyyy, were them goooooood. Cool Ranch too. Yummers. But ya know, with each chip, the thing I noticed was that I couldn't keep from eating one more. "Okay," I would tell myself, "just oooone more, and that's it." I started to get frustrated, because my tongue didn't feel satisfied, but my tummy did, so I kept tossin them in...even tried letting one melt in my mouth to absorb the flavor. Bleck! Not a good idea.

After I finally got sick of the goopy, powdery flavoring on the top, I stopped. I shoved the bag as far away from me as possible and walked away, as if I were putting down a gun or something: "(((EXCUSE ME, PUT-THE-WEAPON-DOWN)))" may as well of been blaring from a loud speaker in my kitchen with red lights and sirens going off.

That's when it dawned on me. I finally figured out why you can't ever eat just a few Doritos. First of all, I have brain damage from all of the Doritos I ate as a kid. More importantly, I figured out their lil secret. They taste good when they first hit your tongue, (I guess it's all the salty, goopy, powdery flavoring on the top), but there is an icky aftertaste, so it makes you want the next one to have the yummy taste again. Make sense? Pretty soon you're shoveling them in one right after the other so you don't have the aftertaste at all.

So no more. I'm reversing the brain damage caused from the Dorito maker's addiction scheme. I'm saying "no" to them.

Because I can't help but make an analogy out of almost everything, I have to say that Doritos are a lot like sin. Often it tastes good at first...but it always leaves a bad aftertaste. And if a Christian gets to the point where she is just sinning one right after the other in order to avoid the aftertaste, well, some real damage is occurring. She'll eventually have to hear, "Put the bag down and put your hands up," if you know what I mean. Each and every day, we need to examine our lives for sin. When we do so, we'll probably find some. Then we confess it, we toss it to Jesus and put our hands in the air, knowing He is the only One who can cleanse us from it. Ask Him to help you see it coming and avoid it, say "No" to it.

Unconfessed sin brings about heart damage. It puts a wedge between you and an abundant relationship with the Lord. And that's scarey, because first of all, He is the Lord, and He is holy. But second of all, He is the only One who can truly give us the kind of fruit we need to live a victorious Christian life.

The Lord is the real deal. Yes, He tastes so good, it makes us want more, but He completely satisfies our longings in the process. Don't try to substitute Him for that person, that place or that thing. Lift up your hands and praise the Lord.

Psalm 63:4-5 (NLT)
I will praise You as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to You in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise You with songs of joy.

In the Key of HE,

Hunting Wabbit

Every time my family goes on a walk at dusk, our dog loves to chase the bunny rabbits in the neighborhood. And there are bunches of them.

Last night, I watched my dog Abby come to a screeching halt in the middle of a pretty good pace. Her ears perked up, the hair on her spine stood straight out, and she morphed to a hunting dog in a nanosecond. She saw a rabbit gnawing on some grass, unaware of her presence.

The extreme amount of self-control and patience that Abby showed while sneaking up to make her "kill" was nothing short of amazing. I wish I could be that graceful.

But I also noticed the rabbit, who began to sense that something was not right. It froze. It's eyes were the only thing moving, watching for any sudden movement. It's ears were perked, listening for the slightest crunching of the grass.

As crafty and skilled as Abby is at hunting, the rabbit always gets away before Abby's leash is extended to its maximum length.  Hard telling what would happen if we let her off her leash. Yikes.

The Holy Spirit in me showed me a direct parallel between this scene and 1 Peter 5:7-8.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

Be self-controlled and alert. 

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion 

looking for someone to devour. 

Resist him, standing firm in the faith...

Just as that rabbit is fully alert and prepared for anyone 'hunting wabbit,' so I should be the same in my faith walk. Not only that, but I must rely on my Lord to help me do so. As I ask Him for protection, He will most certainly provide it.  Because He cares for me. Satan is not allowed to harm me as a believer in any way without the Lord's permission. His leash is controlled by the Omnipotent Ruler of the universe.

That's why God gave me these verses. He wants me to do my part. Trust Him, exercise His fruit of self-control, stay aware of the evil and sin that looms around me, and resist it--by standing firm in my faith. 

I'm going to do that the only way I know how...by praying right now.

Lord, You have opened my eyes and ears to a message You wanted me to see and hear. Now give me the legs to walk in this Truth. I love You and want to resist the devil's schemes and traps. I trust You to help me do so. Thank You for caring for me enough to keep me safe.

In Jesus' name, Amen.