“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Cor. 10:13, NLT).

There was a king who had two goblets; one made of silver and one made of gold.

He used the silver goblet everyday. It was bright and shiny and in it he could see the reflection of the world around him. And from it the king would drink anything that satisfied him for the moment. When guests would visit, often the king would celebrate with a toast, hoisting his silver goblet into the air for all to see and admire, sloshing the contents over the rim until it spilt and stained the table. Over time, the goblet acquired more than a few dents. It became tarnished and lost its shine. Soon, it was discarded and replaced by another silver goblet, a newer goblet.

Every so often, however, the king would drink a special toast from his golden goblet. This was only done in the presence of his closest family. He would reverently grasp the stem and carefully lift the rim to his lips. In its reflection he could see the world only as if it were in perpetual sunshine whose golden glow seemed to make the world appear better than it really was. This goblet was, indeed, very special and the king regarded it with great respect, for it represented the best things of his life. Gold never tarnishes or loses its shine.

So, are you the silver goblet or the golden goblet?

Like the silver goblet, do you allow yourself to be paraded around and used for momentary gratification? Are you an accurate reflection of the world around you as the tarnish begins to obscure your view of life? Have you dropped your defenses against the use and abuse of anyone that comes to your table?

Or, like the golden goblet, do you respect yourself toward the eternal satisfaction of a life that served well? Do you protect yourself from promiscuity? Are you smart enough to avoid temptation and not become the one that tempts others? Are you aware of the beauty with which God has blessed you, and preserved yourself in order to honor God with your body, mind, and spirit?

All of us, myself included, need to be able to give honest answers to these questions. We need to understand that in Christ, God has made us all golden goblets that are to be used according to His perfect plan for our lives. But we won’t recognize His golden plan if we’re too caught up in seeing life through the tarnish of dented silver.

David McCall, Executive Pastor