The Cup and the Glory: Lessons on Suffering and the Glory of God

by Greg Harris

Book Overview

In The Cup and the Glory, Greg Harris unlocks the Scripture and opens the doorway into his personal experience of suffering so we see more clearly that we can trust God with our lives. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977226212
• ISBN13: 9780977226214
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Kress Christian Publications
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

True Brokenness, True Faith

Every once in a while you pick up a recently published book, read through it, and know it's going to be around for a very long time. It's not light. It's not transient. It's not directed at a particular subset of the culture which will be gone within 5 years of the book hitting the shelves. It's not a hyped-up, mass-marketed feel-good book (see: Prayer of Jabez, The Purpose-Driven Life, Your Best Life Now, etc.). Rather it is a book where study and emotion meet, and the truths contained in it were first etched deep in the heart of the author. The Cup and the Glory first and foremost is a book about suffering. I didn't intend to read this book, having a stack of books on my own shelves waiting to be read. I went looking for Greg Harris' second book, The Darkness and the Glory, but ran across this one on my pastor's bookshelf. Harris starts the book off with a letter he wrote to the church he pastored: Joe Hammond had just given me a piece of peppermint taffy, a ritual he had performed after every church service for as long as I can remember...Being a father of two I knew the predicament of having one piece of candy that could not be shared. Doris Stough saw this too and graciously added another piece of peppermint candy she had in her purse...When I came back to the foyer, [my daughter] had taken both pieces of candy. "Place them in my hands," I told her. "But I don't want to Daddy," she replied. "Lauren, those are my two pieces of candy. They are not yours until I give them to you. I may give you one or both, or I may not, but they are mine to give or mine to keep. Place them in my hands."... Lauren reluctantly placed both pieces of candy into my hand. I think she was expecting since she had given them to me, I would automatically given them back to her. In this case, I closed my hand over the candy and told her we would talk about this on the way home. As parents, Betsy and I do not want our children to take what has not been given them or to be presumptuous. Later that night Harris' wife gave birth to identical twin girls. Both were stillborn. Even at the hospital when we first received the news that the babies yet to be born would not live, I still expected down deep that if I gave the twins to God, then He would give them back to me...Only after the nurse walked down the hall with our second baby and turned the corner forever out of our sight this side of heaven, did I fully realize this was one of those times when God had closed His hand over what had been placed into it. There's a world of difference between a book written about suffering by someone who has never suffered, and one who has experienced the severe mercy of God where He takes us where we do not want to go in order to produce in us what we could not attain otherwise. But merely experiencing suffering doesn't make an author's book helpful for others. Rather, one who has suffered and understands why it is better to suffer and know Christ more deeply than to remain in med

A Christian Understanding of Suffering

Do you pray for a deeper, closer walk with our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you desire deeper blessings and a greater understanding of what Christ has done for you? Is the goal of your life to follow Jesus Christ and Him alone? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" then you must read The Cup and the Glory by Dr. Greg Harris. In this book Dr Harris shows how for many, suffering precedes the glory of deeper fellowship and a closer walk with Christ. The title refers to the fact that before the Glory of resurrection and His return to the Father's right hand, Christ first had to drink the Cup of suffering that God placed before Him. Many times, we desire the glory but are unwilling to partake of the cup, which may be the very means God uses to bring the glory. One example of this truth is in Mark 10:35-41. James and John ask Jesus to sit with Him in His glory, one on His right and one on His left. Jesus responds by asking them if they are able to drink the cup that He will be drinking. The disciples will receive the glory they desire only after drinking the cup. Dr Harris uses both God's Word and his own life's struggles to help us see how suffering can bring us into closer fellowship and a deeper walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. "If responded to properly, (and that is not at all a given), suffering forces us to find comfort and mercy in the present fellowship with Jesus and look to Him for hope for the future." What a great encouragement to continue to trust the Lord and His sovereignty in our lives. However, Dr. Harris reminds, "It is one thing to ask for deeper blessings. It is quite another to stand firmly during the refining process that makes us fit to receive what we ask." The Cup and the Glory will cause readers to examine their heart, their love for God and the trust they place in Him when facing suffering. Tough questions such as: Do you love God and trust Him during the dark times of suffering or only when He brings good things into your life? will challenge readers to evaluate their desire to have a closer, deeper walk with God. This book changed my life as it took me down my personal path of suffering from a new perspective. It is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to grow spiritually and desires to understand the role suffering can play in this process. Written by:Julie Sandfrey For: The Master's Seminary Wive's Fellowship

Lord May We Be Broken

Dr. Jim Rosscup says in his article on "The Priority of Prayer in Preaching" that "prayer is not an elective but the principal element in the kaleidoscope of spiritual characteristics that mark a preacher. These traits unite into a powerful spiritual force. They build a spokesman for God." In this book written by the Professor of Bible Exposition at The Master's Seminary, Greg Harris presents a powerful spiritual force that challenges the reader to live out what Scripture reveals on the road of suffering. The lessons he builds are sign posts on this road that reveal the human heart, the depravity of man, the believer's ongoing struggle with trust, the walk of faith, the unexpected challenges, the bearing up under adversity, God's work of perfecting, and the sufferers increased sensitivity to God's glory. As I sat around the dinner table with several TMS men, the discussion of this book centered on the very personal nature of suffering and how Greg's lessons on suffering caused many to examine wounds that had festered but had never healed. One talked about the death of a believing father while dealing with the contempt for a hard-hearted faithless mother; another discussed anger and disappointment with God with the suffering of his child; and still another added only tears for a brother dying of cancer. This then is the real strength of the book; it draws the reader into a Biblical discussion of suffering and forces examination where pain may have been a roadblock. As Dr. Harris states, "Deep treasures lay embedded in God's Word, ready to be mined and assayed." This book is rich with spiritual principles dug by a prospector eagerly willing to share his nuggets of truth with Biblical certainity. If you liked D.A. Carson's book on prayer, A Call to Spiritual Reformation or D. Edmond Hiebert's book, Working with God Through Prayer, you will thoroughly enjoy The Cup and the Glory . . .again and again and again. Ray Mehringer Director of Admissions & Placement The Master's Seminary

Hungry for the Glory of God?

Greg Harris writes from firsthand experience dealing with suffering both physical and spiritual. "The Road" chapter helps the reader know how to respond when God says "no" sometimes even for a long period of time. The other chapters are equally valuable and enriched with grace, understanding, and clarity. Greg writes in a way that common people can understand, yet theologians can dive right in. This book has been a treasure of truth which I have returned to time and time again having many of my questions answered walking down the road of the Christian life. I wholeheartedly recommend it knowing it will help people know God better and to get into His Word.

Honoring God in the midst of suffering

Greg Harris has written a thoroughly biblical, very helpful book on suffering that every Christian should read. This 170-page paperback book titled The Cup and the Glory, is an excellent treatment of a very difficult subject. In it Harris tries to help Christians honor God by pointing them toward biblical answers to the very hard questions of life. Why has such suffering come into my life? How can I honor God through my most difficult moments? The Cup and the Glory does not treat suffering lightly. The author himself has been through many valleys of trials and pain which he graciously shares throughout the pages of this book. As Harris relates his own personal struggles, readers travel through the pages of Scripture with him as he seeks to understand why a good God has walked him along such a difficult road. Reading this book is like sitting down with a very godly pastor and allowing him to shepherd your soul so that you, too, can triumph through the hardships of life. Harris' own words best describe his purpose for writing this book. His hope is that The Cup and the Glory will "offer new insights into the graciousness of God as He lovingly uses suffering to draw us nearer to Him and to conform us closer to the image of Christ. At its heart, the lessons re-teach us the simple truth that God is God-and God is in control." (p. 18) Every Christian should read this book. And every Christian should keep this book ready on their bookshelf at home to help family and friends when they are led down the pathway of suffering. - James Billings, Christian Book [...]