“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Ps. 23

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” Titus 3:1-8

Good morning, Saints, and greetings from Crean Lutheran High School in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!  I pray you have a peace-filled weekend with family and friends. 

Today’s devotion explores Titus 3, Psalm 23, and the idea that the Lord fills us up, fills our cups, and fills our hearts with the joy of Jesus daily. Out of His grace and the gift of Christ, we are full, filled with the fullness of Christ. This is not our own doing but a free gift from the Lord. The consequence of being filled up is a life of joy and a life with the knowledge of saving grace through faith that gives us hope in an eternal promise - the promise of eternal paradise with our Savior and all those who believe. With His help and through the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that this overflow (from Christ) will not only supercharge us but also all with whom we share the Gospel. Let’s get started with the assurance of Psalm 23. 

Psalm 23 is one of the most widely memorized Psalms in the Bible. It is often used as a Psalm of comfort to be remembered and trusted, especially during times of trial and loss. Preacher, author, and theologian Charles Spurgeon referred to the Psalm as the “Pearl of the Psalms” when writing about it (more from Spurgeon later). It is a familiar Psalm used often at funerals and celebration of life services as a Psalm of comfort. 

While the entire Psalm is comforting and offers Christians much about which to think, pray, and be thankful, I wanted to spend today thinking a little more deeply about verse five, which is highlighted above. And, more specifically, the third part, verse 5(c) - “my cup overflows.” Or, in some versions, “my cup runneth over.” 

Historians believe that David wrote this Psalm while he was King, harkening back to the difficult times he spent shepherding as a boy. The people of his time could understand it well because it was a common occupation, unlike today. David sets the tone early on, saying, “The Lord is my shepherd.” “My” reminds us that the context is personal; the Lord personally cares for each member of His flock. He is a Shepherd to each; He cares for each, watches over each, preserves each, and saves each. It is a powerful reminder that we are not alone; we are cared for and loved by our Shepherd, our Lord. 

But what about that cup that overflows? In verse 5, David reminds us that the Lord will take care of us, and we need not worry. When things are seemingly bad and overwhelming, and we feel like we’re up against something terrible – even against our enemies – the Lord prepares to feed and nourish us in His calm and loving way. Not shaken by the things of the world, not distracted, in no hurry, and not in the least worried about the enemy who may be near. Nope, He only focuses on nourishing us, anointing us, and filling our cups so they overflow. It is comforting to think about this piece of scripture, the “Pearl of the Psalms,” to be reminded that our Lord will take care of us, and He doesn’t stop when He fills up our cup. He fills it up with more than it can hold, more than we deserve, more than enough - it overflows!

I don’t know about you, but just reading verse five and thinking about my cup, I can’t help but reflect on how this world drains my cup daily and seeks to empty it…worse yet, take it away. At the frenetic pace of today’s life, not only do I forget to tend to my cup, but I even neglect it. It’s humbling to think about even neglecting to spend time with the One who fills it up. How about you? 

It is dangerous to live life without our cups being filled. The enemy would love nothing more than to drain our cups so that we can’t receive the blessings of Christ from a cup that overflows. Our cups are filled by the Lord and overflow out of His abundance, out of His grace and love. The Lord gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to ensure our cups overflow. His love in Jesus not only saves us [For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast, Ephesians 2:8-9]; it continues to fill our cups, a feat we can’t do ourselves. 

Charles Spurgeon once put forth this powerful thought and question about our cups, “Beloved, I will ask you now a question. How would it be with you if God had filled your cup in proportion to your faith? How much would you have had in your cup?” A scary thought, really. Depending on the day, moment, or time in our lives, our cups could be nearly empty and never truly full. The good news, Saints, is that our Shepherd looks at each of us, and rather than send us as lambs to slaughter, He sent Jesus in our place! By God’s grace, our cup overflows! If it were left to us, we surely would be empty. 

The apostle Paul reminds his dedicated servant and “son in the common faith,” Titus (Titus 1:4), that he is to remember to instruct and remind believers (that’s us, too) that it is the Lord who saves us. It is not by our own righteousness but by the gift of grace in giving His son Jesus. Paul uses such a warm description to describe how our cup, our lives, become full and even transformed;

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7).

Paul says that by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, our cups are overflowing through Jesus Christ! Powerful stuff, right?

A.W. Tozer, in his book Lead Like Christ, a book our key leadership team worked through this academic school year, says it this way:

“We are to be Christ-centered servants, which means everything we do should flow out of that center. Anything in our lives that compromises that center needs to be dealt with and removed immediately. To be a Christ-centered servant means we will have quite a bit of suffering along the way. It will not be easy, and none of it will come naturally. It will come from the Holy Spirit’s work flowing from the center of our life, which is Jesus Christ.”

Our cups overflow, Saints. Our response will be gratitude for this blessing so that as they spill over, we can share why and how our cups overflow. It is no secret. It is not our doing. Our cups overflow because they have been filled by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, by our loving Lord, through Jesus Christ. Praise and glory be to God that our Lord’s Kingdom never ends, He will never forsake us, and we shall dwell in His house forever and ever! May God’s richest blessings be with you as you live from Christ’s overflow! Amen.

We Pray. Lord, You are our Shepherd; thank You for filling our cups. We know that we alone are sinful and doomed to fail without You. We cannot fill our cups by our own strength or doing. You, Lord, fill our cups beyond our deserving; You fill them beyond full so they overflow. Thank You for Your amazing grace and endless love in giving Your Son to die for us. Bless us that we might live from the overflow of Christ and share with others about Jesus, who, with the Holy Spirit, fills our cups. Be with those named in our hearts who are ill, suffering, or alone. Give healing, comfort, and hope to those in need. We ask all of this in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

Dr. Jeffrey S. Beavers, CEO

Crean Lutheran High School, Irvine

dr.beavers@creanlutheran.org