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The Cup and the Glory Study Guide: Lessons on Suffering and the Glory of God
A companion study guide for the book The Cup and the Glory by Greg Harris. For personal or group study.
83 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
14 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Greg Harris
67 books3 followersLibrarian Note:
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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 31, 2021
A careful and honest dealing of suffering as a Christian. Greg has had his share of tears and anguish both in losing his twin babies and becoming virtually crippled from rheumatoid arthritis... he honestly walks through struggling with times of feeling far from God and the deep desire to honor God in the valley. His words are full of understanding and hope of glory. I’m glad I read it.
October 23, 2022
This book is a companion to sufferers. Dr. Harris weaves a heartfelt & transparent account of his own suffering throughout; challenging the reader to follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus- from suffering to glory. It serves as a balm to the weary soul. A great encouragement!
February 4, 2023
A profound book on suffering and the glory that awaits those who suffer in Christ.
July 21, 2014
This is an amazing meditation on the sufferings of Christ and our fellowship with them, written by a pastor who experienced great suffering. Out of the midst of his personal darkness he was driven to dig deep in Scripture and we are all blessed by the fruits of his labor.
Some books on suffering are written to prepare us for suffering but may not be helpful for those currently in the midst of it. This book is written for those in the midst of suffering and I would highly encourage it to any Christian who finds themselves asking "Why" or who wonders about God's purposes in allowing suffering in their lives.
Some books on suffering are written to prepare us for suffering but may not be helpful for those currently in the midst of it. This book is written for those in the midst of suffering and I would highly encourage it to any Christian who finds themselves asking "Why" or who wonders about God's purposes in allowing suffering in their lives.
January 6, 2017
A wonderfully insightful book from a man who experienced much suffering. It opens up the biblical basis to suffering in a very compelling fashion. It might not work for those Christians with a strong charismatic leaning.
September 12, 2018
Last year I read Greg Harris’ “The Glory and the Darkness” and loved it. I stumbled upon a free audio book version and what I thought was Darkness, but turned out to be this book (an easy mistake I feel like; they both have the word glory in it, give me a break). But I was not disappointed. Dr. Harris has given us a beautiful glimpse into why even those who are close to Christ suffer.
The book’s premise lies within what was happening in Dr. Harris’ life prior to this writing. He describes a simple story of his daughter taking candy that was rightfully his; she expected him to give it back to her but he wanted to teach her a lesson in stealing and taking what doesn’t belong to you. That expectation is something we think God may do for us: we give to Him our struggles and expect Him to give us right back and answer. It doesn’t always work like this however. Dr. Harris experienced this first hand when he lost both of his baby twins from complications during birth. Months later, he was getting out of bed when he fell flat on his face. After consulting doctors, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that left him in excruciating pain for months. The question he asked himself was why do sufferings occur to those, even those, who walk with Him? That question prompted a beautiful discourse on suffering in the Christian life.
If there was one central theme throughout this book, it would be the idea that suffering comes before glory. I love chapter 2 which is entitled, “the Cup.” Here Dr. Harris sets the scene of Jesus in Matthew 20 being asked if the “brothers of Zebedee” could sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. Jesus responds:
“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
Jesus’ cup was the full wrath of God on Him for the sins of the entirety of mankind; obviously they were not prepared to drink this cup. But there would be a cup for both John and Peter to drink that would leave a bad taste in their mouth. But even after this event, there is a refining process that God graciously puts us through for our benefit. One of my most favorite quotes from this book is this one from this chapter:
We should also realize we do not know or understand what we ask anymore than James or John did. A refining process occurs that makes us fit to receive the deeper blessings of God. Yet our prayers focus mostly on the removal of the very elements that God uses to bring us to the point of blessing. Is it any wonder why Paul would say we do not know or understand how to pray as we should in Romans 8:26? We pray for greatness and blessing from God and then for relief from the divine procedure that accomplishes this. On top of this, we usually blame God for unanswered prayer while all at the same time he is in the process of answering what we glibly bring before Him… It is human nature to turn away from the cup placed before us and not want to partake in it.
I’ve read that over and over and over for a couple days because of how powerful it is. Often times we pray to God a request and in order to grant that, there is a refining process we go through and yet we pray to God to take away that refining process. What is clear from reading this book is that that process is good for us; it grows us, strengthens us, makes us more mature and holy. It’s never fun to lose a child or to be debilitated by a disease, but we know that there is glory beyond this physical world for those who persevere and who place their hope and security in God.
There is much more I can say about this particular book, but suffice it to say that if you read this, your entire outlook on suffering will change. I think this is the best treatise on suffering that I have ever read (although JFR disagrees, I’ll have to check out the Piper book) and I would caution you: read this only if you want your view on suffering to be radically altered !
(And I’ll just put this out there so we don’t have to discuss it in the comments: yes, the cover is really ugly)
The book’s premise lies within what was happening in Dr. Harris’ life prior to this writing. He describes a simple story of his daughter taking candy that was rightfully his; she expected him to give it back to her but he wanted to teach her a lesson in stealing and taking what doesn’t belong to you. That expectation is something we think God may do for us: we give to Him our struggles and expect Him to give us right back and answer. It doesn’t always work like this however. Dr. Harris experienced this first hand when he lost both of his baby twins from complications during birth. Months later, he was getting out of bed when he fell flat on his face. After consulting doctors, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that left him in excruciating pain for months. The question he asked himself was why do sufferings occur to those, even those, who walk with Him? That question prompted a beautiful discourse on suffering in the Christian life.
If there was one central theme throughout this book, it would be the idea that suffering comes before glory. I love chapter 2 which is entitled, “the Cup.” Here Dr. Harris sets the scene of Jesus in Matthew 20 being asked if the “brothers of Zebedee” could sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. Jesus responds:
“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
Jesus’ cup was the full wrath of God on Him for the sins of the entirety of mankind; obviously they were not prepared to drink this cup. But there would be a cup for both John and Peter to drink that would leave a bad taste in their mouth. But even after this event, there is a refining process that God graciously puts us through for our benefit. One of my most favorite quotes from this book is this one from this chapter:
We should also realize we do not know or understand what we ask anymore than James or John did. A refining process occurs that makes us fit to receive the deeper blessings of God. Yet our prayers focus mostly on the removal of the very elements that God uses to bring us to the point of blessing. Is it any wonder why Paul would say we do not know or understand how to pray as we should in Romans 8:26? We pray for greatness and blessing from God and then for relief from the divine procedure that accomplishes this. On top of this, we usually blame God for unanswered prayer while all at the same time he is in the process of answering what we glibly bring before Him… It is human nature to turn away from the cup placed before us and not want to partake in it.
I’ve read that over and over and over for a couple days because of how powerful it is. Often times we pray to God a request and in order to grant that, there is a refining process we go through and yet we pray to God to take away that refining process. What is clear from reading this book is that that process is good for us; it grows us, strengthens us, makes us more mature and holy. It’s never fun to lose a child or to be debilitated by a disease, but we know that there is glory beyond this physical world for those who persevere and who place their hope and security in God.
There is much more I can say about this particular book, but suffice it to say that if you read this, your entire outlook on suffering will change. I think this is the best treatise on suffering that I have ever read (although JFR disagrees, I’ll have to check out the Piper book) and I would caution you: read this only if you want your view on suffering to be radically altered !
(And I’ll just put this out there so we don’t have to discuss it in the comments: yes, the cover is really ugly)
October 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is I felt like there could have been more discussion on the Holy Spirits role. Past that, this book was really good. I really enjoyed Greg’s teaching style.
It’s really odd because he’s really good as saying something theological and being like “isn’t this weird? Like can we address that this doesn’t make sense initially? Let’s see if there’s a piece of the Greek that can rewrite the way we see this scripture. Let’s also put this strange Bible story in context and ask questions of the text so we have a richer understanding”.
It’s really odd because he’s really good as saying something theological and being like “isn’t this weird? Like can we address that this doesn’t make sense initially? Let’s see if there’s a piece of the Greek that can rewrite the way we see this scripture. Let’s also put this strange Bible story in context and ask questions of the text so we have a richer understanding”.
July 16, 2022
I wish I could rate this higher than 5 stars. I was weepy through the majority of this book. It was beautiful, heartbreaking and edifying. The author depicts the suffering of Christians with the glory of God in perspective in such a tangible way. The last chapter on Christ's transfiguration was so incredible; my pastor just recently preached through that portion of Matthew's gospel so it was fresh in my mind. This book is a true gift to the church. I will be reading this one again and again.
July 14, 2019
El contenido del libro es excelente, pero la estructura lo hace muy agotador.
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July 23, 2011This is my Chapter Summary
Review:
Chapter One was titled "the Wilderness", opens up with Greg Harris's personal struggles and how there will be a 'wilderness' in the Christian experience.
Chapter two was titled "the Cup" which discusses about the suffering itself is an integral part of the Christian life. In addition, the chapter repeats the question again and again: "By the way, what do you pray for...when you pray?" It's emphasis is that it is the Christian duty to take the 'Cup' of suffering.
Chapter Three is titled "The Road". Drawing from Acts 16 (see page 41) with Paul's road to Troas, Harris gives us insight as to 'disappointments' and sucess in the Christian experience and how ultimately we must seek to follow Christ before any other goals or anything else for that manner. He also discusses how sometimes we do not know what God's goal is but we must trust in God for His glory to be fulfilled.
Chapter four was titled, "The gift" and attempted to put into perspective that suffering is a gift from God. The second portion of the chapter discussed about the Macedonian church in the Apostolic period and how the Christian perspective would view this afflicted and meager church is blessed while worldly standard would dismiss this church entirely.
Chapter five was titled "The fellowship" and emphasized the importance of fellowshipping with God and others during the moment of our suffering.
Chapter six was titled "The Footprints" and bases itself on the text of 1Peter 2:21. The chapter exhorts the believer to put things into perspective with insight as to why Chrisitan must suffer is because Christ has suffered for us.
Chapter seven was titled "The Suprise" and previewed mainly 1 Peter, while providing the background of who Peter was, especially his interaction with Jesus before CHrist went to the cross. Also, continually in this chapter there is the reference to the greek word peirasmos, as temptation or testing with the intention of one to fail. This chapter discusses how the Christian ought not to be suprise, yet we often are, about suffering.
CHapter eight was titled "The Blessing". THe Biblical narrative of Jacob's wrestling moved on to a discussion about wrestling in the spiritual realm and how testing is a real part of a Christian blessing as taught by Peter and James. In essence, the chapter's message is that the Christian must endure suffering, and that the CHristian is already blessed in the suffering.
CHapter nine was titled "The Agreement".
Chapter ten was titled "The GLory". This is a good chapter that focused about the glory that is to come, that though it is mysterious in some sense, yet it is something that supercede the suffering of the present. THe chapter discusses the transfiguration experiences, and the impact on JOhn and Peter.
Review:
Chapter One was titled "the Wilderness", opens up with Greg Harris's personal struggles and how there will be a 'wilderness' in the Christian experience.
Chapter two was titled "the Cup" which discusses about the suffering itself is an integral part of the Christian life. In addition, the chapter repeats the question again and again: "By the way, what do you pray for...when you pray?" It's emphasis is that it is the Christian duty to take the 'Cup' of suffering.
Chapter Three is titled "The Road". Drawing from Acts 16 (see page 41) with Paul's road to Troas, Harris gives us insight as to 'disappointments' and sucess in the Christian experience and how ultimately we must seek to follow Christ before any other goals or anything else for that manner. He also discusses how sometimes we do not know what God's goal is but we must trust in God for His glory to be fulfilled.
Chapter four was titled, "The gift" and attempted to put into perspective that suffering is a gift from God. The second portion of the chapter discussed about the Macedonian church in the Apostolic period and how the Christian perspective would view this afflicted and meager church is blessed while worldly standard would dismiss this church entirely.
Chapter five was titled "The fellowship" and emphasized the importance of fellowshipping with God and others during the moment of our suffering.
Chapter six was titled "The Footprints" and bases itself on the text of 1Peter 2:21. The chapter exhorts the believer to put things into perspective with insight as to why Chrisitan must suffer is because Christ has suffered for us.
Chapter seven was titled "The Suprise" and previewed mainly 1 Peter, while providing the background of who Peter was, especially his interaction with Jesus before CHrist went to the cross. Also, continually in this chapter there is the reference to the greek word peirasmos, as temptation or testing with the intention of one to fail. This chapter discusses how the Christian ought not to be suprise, yet we often are, about suffering.
CHapter eight was titled "The Blessing". THe Biblical narrative of Jacob's wrestling moved on to a discussion about wrestling in the spiritual realm and how testing is a real part of a Christian blessing as taught by Peter and James. In essence, the chapter's message is that the Christian must endure suffering, and that the CHristian is already blessed in the suffering.
CHapter nine was titled "The Agreement".
Chapter ten was titled "The GLory". This is a good chapter that focused about the glory that is to come, that though it is mysterious in some sense, yet it is something that supercede the suffering of the present. THe chapter discusses the transfiguration experiences, and the impact on JOhn and Peter.
March 19, 2014
This book is somewhat of an autobiography of Dr. Greg Harris in that it opens and closes with his own personal wilderness experience of much suffering. In the middle chapters, Harris helps the reader think through the experiences of suffering Biblically as he himself gains comfort for his own suffering through the study of Christ's Suffering and glory in Scripture. Rarely do you see suffering tied so closely with God's gift and blessing.
The book reads really well like a biblical exposition on various passages including most of 1 Peter. I would strongly recommend this for anyone experiencing a lot of suffering and looking for biblical answers as well as anyone desiring help comfort the afflicted.
The book reads really well like a biblical exposition on various passages including most of 1 Peter. I would strongly recommend this for anyone experiencing a lot of suffering and looking for biblical answers as well as anyone desiring help comfort the afflicted.
October 9, 2008
A must read for followers of Jesus Christ who have encountered various sufferings in their pilgrimage.
September 4, 2012
Perhaps it was due the intense trial at the time of reading, perhaps not, this was a great book on the Christian path through suffering.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews