An alternative to temptation

August 12, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46


ESV: Luke 22:46. and he said to them, Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

I know this might be hard to believe, but I am human and I sin.  I have begun to notice that as I work my way through things I have had to lean on prayer.  At time I have not done so.  I have tried to wrestle though things thinking that this was a ‘thorn in the flesh’ that I would have to deal with.  It was not one.  I would fight my flesh in the natural, and then at the end of the day I would go to sleep not having prayed about it. The next day it was still there and I would struggle some more.

Today however I discovered something thing new.  For some reason I did not understand I felt this strong urge and it came out of the clear blue sky.  There was no logic behind wanting to do this thing, it just came up.  As I remembered pondering on this verse, I decided to take it to God in prayer.  I did not want that temptation.

Later, I noticed that the desire had left me.  I asked God what was different and I got two things. One, I had taken the time to ask for His help, and two, I had been under a great deal of pressure to get a task done, and when it was done, the extra adrenalin had no place to go, so it was wanting to get out the only way it could before.

Now I am far from being perfect. But I have found a new tool to help me in my fight from wanting to sin.


Read for next time: Mob comes to arrest Jesus; Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; John 18:2-3

Prayer

August 12, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: The fellowship enters Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:39-40; John 18:1

ESV: Matthew 26:36. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, Sit here, while I go over there and pray.

ESV: Mark 14:32. And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray.

ESV: Luke Chapter 22
[39] And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. [40] And when he came to the place, he said to them, Pray that you may not enter into temptation.

ESV: John 18:1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.

Normally in writing these, I try to find one verse that sticks out, but I feel today that all must be added.  I find it interesting in two of the four Gospels that it is Jesus is the one to pray while the disciples sit, in one, Jesus tells the disciples to pray and in one, pray is not mentioned at all.  Though not mentioned, it could be assumed that there was prayer going on. After a Passover meal prayer is usually observed and what better place than a garden to do it in.

So we can assume from all this that prayer is important.  And it is. What type of prayer becomes the question.  Jesus did not enter in with the disciples in prayer here.  He encourages them to pray and He prays also.  What he have here is prayer to God in one on one terms.  I have heard so much teaching on prayer being a corporate thing, and I do not deny there is strength in it, but there is a time for just talking to God alone, and this was one of those times.

In the hour that was the darkest, Jesus took some time to pray, something that I can learn from as well.  And He did not use His friends to pray with, also something that I can learn from.


Read for next time: Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46

Kept from evil

August 11, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus prays for his disciples; John 17:1-26


MKJV: John 17:15. I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil.

I read this and I wonder, why, if evil is not allowed to happen to me, why does it?  Recently diagnosed with a cancer, I asked God why did this happen. I asked Him about all the other events in my life that have happened, why if I am to  be kept from evil, did these happen.  As He sometimes does, when I ask questions of God, there is a profound silence. In those times I have learned to be still. Eventually, everything will become clear as I put myself in situations to hear from God, though it may take some time.

A few days later it hit me why evil happens to me.  God says that I will be kept from evil, but that does not mean that I cannot walk to it of my own free will.  The problems that I have in my life are a direct result of choices that I have made over the years.  In many of those situations, I was moving away from God, moving towards evil.  

Even in my daily walk today, do I want to take the time to write my personal thoughts on scripture, or do I want to play one more game on Facebook? one more TV program? Anything that I do to avoid time in fellowship with God results in me moving away from Him and towards evil, and when I do, then I can not say to God, ‘why did you not keep me from evil’?

Read for next time: The fellowship enters Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:39-40; John 18:1

Storms

August 10, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: The farewell discourse; John 15:1-16:33

As I write these words it is morning in the Tulsa area where I live.  A huge thunder storm has just passed through the area taking down tree limbs and knocking out power.  It has also cooled down what has been an extremely hot summer with temperatures in triple digits for the last month and a half.   Still, when the storm came through, I was sound asleep.  It was not always this way however.  

As a child I was scared of storms. When power went out I was in fear.  I was a latch key kid before the term became well used. In the 1950’s and 60’s my mom and dad both worked.  By first grade I was letting myself into the house as my older brothers would be off playing someplace.  So I spent a lot of time alone.  We did not have a lot of storms, but when they came they were strong and I was alone.  

Now I am older.  I have learned one thing through the teachings of the Gospel that have let me sleep through violent storms like the one last night.

ESV: John 16:32. Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

Like Jesus, I am never truly alone.  I always have Him with me to weather the storms.  I must make the effort however, to remind myself of that in day to day life.  While I seem to be able to deal with natural storms, the storms inside myself will take a bit more taming, I know I can do it though because the Father is with me.


Read for next time: Jesus prays for his disciples; John 17:1-26

Sing a song

August 9, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today:  They sing a hymn and leave; Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; John 14:31


LEB: Matthew 26:30. And after they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  

Everything in Jesus life revolved around worship of God.  Even at a time that He knew that was leading to His death, He made sure that they took the time to worship God before they moved on.  

In my life I sometimes wonder.  Before I go to the doctor’s office, do I take time to sing praise to God? Or as I get up and drive myself to work?  Or in any number of things that I do in the day, where has God been assigned?



Read for next time: The farewell discourse; John 15:1-16:33

Faith or works

August 7, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today:  Jesus responds to Judas not Iscariot; John 14:22-31

I have seen much discussion in the church over the years of works versus faith.  One says that you can not be a Christian if you do not do the works that Christ would do, and the other says that the only way to be a Christian is to accept Jesus as your savior, good works get you no place.  I wonder what Jesus reaction would be?


BBE: John 14:24. He who has no love for me does not keep my words; and the word which you are hearing is not my word but the Father's who sent me.

I really do not need to think about His reaction, do I?  While faith gets you in the door, if you really are Jesus disciple, you will want to act like Him, and keep the words that He speaks and get from the Father.


Read for next time: They sing a hymn and leave; Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; John 14:31

Not alone

August 6, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today:  Jesus responds to Philip; John 14:8-21


ESV: John 14:18. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you

My life has been a struggle lately.  I have had some bad news, and have tried to have faith to make it through each situation.  Sometimes my faith was not as strong as others.  In those times, I had, and continue to, have to keep my thoughts on a couple of things. One is that I know that I will never be given more than I can handle.  The other is, that through it all, I know that I am not alone, I am not an orphan.  Jesus is going to come back some day to take me home to the Father.  

Knowing those things helps to make it thought the bad times.

Read for next time: Jesus responds to Judas not Iscariot; John 14:22-31

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