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“Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering… I will be glad and rejoice with all of you.” Philippians 2:17

Remember Paul is in chains in a Roman prison and he’s writing to the believers in Philippi. He lists several behavioral characteristics that bring him joy as he hears about the people in whom he has invested his life. Things like:

Don’t complain

Don’t argue (not doing those two things will help me become blameless and pure says Paul!)

Shine like the stars (which he defines as “holding up the word of Life” before others)

And then my verse for today, with an illustration I heard not long ago:

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? "Because someone bumped into me!!!" Wrong answer.

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to try and fake it, until you get rattled. So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?" When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility? Anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions? Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it. Because what’s in it is what will spill out when you hit a bump.

Paul’s life was the cup; the believer in Philippi were filling it with blameless and pure character qualities. The result was that when his life was being poured out and life was tough, what spilled from his cup was gladness and rejoicing because that’s what was filling his cup!

So what’s filling my cup? I’ll find out in the bumps of life! Or I could choose now, as did Paul, to fill my cup with rejoicing and gladness SO THAT when I hit one of the inevitable bumps in life, what spills still reflects Jesus.

Have a great day filling your cup with what you want to spill!

Pastor Rich

Quote for the day: "Before you act ... Listen. Before you react ... Think. Before you spend ... Earn. Before you criticize ... Wait. Before you quit ... Try." E. Hemingway

PS uGather, in the church @ 10:35. It’s not THAT cold! Join us for our time of community focus and learn about our “adopted” island in the Pacific. Then listen and be blessed by Ricky Melendez, recent Union grad and current Youth Director for the Dakota Conference as he brings his journey with Jesus to us all.

PPS Calling all human development majors!! Come out on Friday, February 14 to the Human Development Division from 9am to 1pm to participate in a scavenger hunt. There will be the option for two winners to whoever finds the golden prize that is hidden. Winner receives a 10 dollar gift card to Starbucks. Come out and find some gold! Sponsored by Amber, our Campus Ministries Liaison to the Human Development Division.

PPPS FYI- "The Cashier's Window will be closed 2/14/2020 but payments can still be made online at https://w3.ucollege.edu/Payment/ "