Overflowing Cups and Equal Opportunities in Christ

I spend some time stalking people on Instagram. A considerable amount of time which I admit could be spent doing something more productive. Everyday a new picture of an exciting, godly, married couple comes up on my Instagram feed. I would usually stalk the man and the woman in turn (assuming both have Instagram accounts). I always find myself thinking of 1) how well grounded these people are in Christ and 2) how I really want a godly husband. Sometimes a third and worrying thought creeps in; what if I do not have enough Christ in me to give and what if the godly man that I am supposed to be with sees me and knows instantly that I am "Christ-rupt"(as in bankrupt)?

As this thought crossed my mind recently, the Holy Spirit whispered to me “I anoint your head with oil, your cup overflows”. I knew that that was an invitation to meditate on God’s word, get out of my head and look at the Lifter of my head and what He says about me.

God does not have mood swings. He does not deplete the Christ in me because I have lost my temper neither does He increase the Christ in me because I pray every hour and carry an audio Bible with me all day. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was once and for all and He gave His whole self to me. The Holy Spirit dwells in me completely at all times therefore I can never be Christ-rupt.

If the Holy Spirit dwells within me at all times, why do I have the disturbing thought of not being good enough sometimes? Well I have observed that these thoughts come when I am not intentional about spending time with God. I may have a quick glance at my Bible and say a quick prayer to God but I ignore the longing in my spirit for more time with my Father. I spend the rest of my time looking at Instagram posts of seemingly perfect, godly, married couples and compare my life to theirs. I read the write-ups beneath their pictures (usually a mini-sermon about serving God that ministers to my soul) and I am jealous of the relationship that they seem to have with God. I think to myself that I want to have that same relationship because I also want to post mini-sermons that speak to people’s hearts underneath my picture. I wallow in the assumption that I must be Christ-rupt and I forget that just minutes ago, God was tugging at my heart for a few minutes with Him. I look at other people’s lives, trying to find God through and in them when I have a direct line to Him.

I know this problem is not unique to me. We all have moments where we wish our relationship with God was as “solid” as someone else’s relationship with Him. The good news is that Christ’s death ensures that we all have a clean slate with God and we choose what we do with that clean slate. Just like I was reminded by the Holy Spirit, God has anointed my head with oil and my cup overflows. This is thankfully not unique to me because God is not only accessible to me; whoever has access to God also has an overflowing cup because the source of the overflow is God and He is a limitless source that is not capable of depletion.

Romans 2:11 tells us that “God does not show any favouritism”. In the parable of the sower, the seeds fell on different types of grounds. However, the seeds that sprang up and bore fruits a hundredfold were those that fell on good ground. Jesus explained that this “ground” are “they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience”.  In the same way, in the parable of the talent, the servant who did not multiply what the master had given him is the one who chose to hide his talent in the ground. The thing that distinguishes most people is the fact that they have not only acknowledged that God is the source, they also take advantage of it. God’s grace is sufficient for us all. There is no asterisk in the Bible exempting anyone of us from the overflow of God. 

I can choose to stare at Instagram couples all day, everyday while my soul so desperately longs for God or I can actually get off my phone, open my Bible and spend time with God. The choice is truly mine. The truth is that I see a reflection of God in these couples and I am jealous of what I know is accessible to me. When I spend time with God, constantly reading His word and praying, I am transformed from glory to glory in the image of Christ. It is only natural that I will also be a reflection of Him to the rest of the world.