I have been working on the driveway outside the front of the house. This means tapping away at the gravel with a pickaxe, spade, and rake to remove the weeds. As a result of the enormity of the task, it is more than I can do in one go. After my second attempt to get the job done, exhausted and with more still to do, I thought that I would go in and get a drink before I fell over from doing too much without sufficient liquid replenishment. When I entered the kitchen, I noticed there, sitting by the kettle, a cup of tea undrunk that I had made earlier. No wonder I felt thirsty!

These days, my memory completely forgets some things, and it seems that I am easily distracted from my original task by seeing something else that requires my attention. Forgetting is not as funny as I thought it was years ago when joking with my dad, because now it has become a part of my existence. He called it having a "CRAFT" moment ("Cannot Remember A Flippin' Thing"). I still miss him.

Filled up on fluid once more, up from the depths of my memory floated this verse:

Mark 10:38a – Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" (ESV)

I am not a great fan of this verse, and even then, I can pass it over. It seems that I am not quite so thirsty for that particular cup. I appear to be more in line with Peter in his declaration:

Luke 22:33-34 – Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me." (ESV)

I have some sympathy/empathy for Peter, who was all-in — until it was a matter of life and death, then maybe not so much. Life, guns, and civil war in 1980s Uganda have shown me that I am no different — something that we can find out only the hard way.

John 4:14 – But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (ESV)

I also remember how Jesus later gave Peter a second chance during breakfast on the seashore: "Do you love me? … Follow me." (John 21:15-19 ESV) Can we, like Peter, say, "You know that I love you", maybe a little sheepishly, then face up to what we know that God is calling us to do today, and trust in Him no matter what?

Prayer: Lord, we all want the benefits and the honour of the kingdom, without realizing that we might possibly miss out on the eternal blessings that You have for us if we would drink the allotted cup. Please grant us the courage, peace, and faithfulness to be Your wellspring, even when the journey is dry and rough. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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