Asleep At The Wheel

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?  Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”  Matthew 26:36-41

My wife will testify that I do a lot of driving (about 40,000 miles a year).  Some days, I can barely hold my eyes open on the road.  Over the years, I have learned to find something to keep me awake like music, or if on a long road trip, I find a safe spot to rest for a moment.  The key is that when driving, I am always alert to what may be going on so that I do not endanger not only the people with me but also the other drivers.  After all, it only takes one moment of distraction to change the lives of others, and I do not want to be asleep at the wheel when something might happen.

We should always be alert to what God might have planned for we might miss when He is up to something.  I have read today’s verses multiple times focusing on the humility of Jesus wanting to do God’s will over His own.  However, I did not fully focus on the part of Peter, James, and John falling asleep while Jesus was praying until now.  Here it is, the people who were back then the most loyal to Jesus, and they were sleep on the job!  Now I’m sure that was not their intention, but they had not realized this was the day before the crucifixion.  Had they truly been ‘awake,’ they would have understood why Jesus instructed them as He did, and perhaps they would have embraced this moment more than they did.  As we grow in our faith, we too can ‘fall asleep’ when God is instructing us to do something.  Taking that into consideration, this story becomes a warning of sorts for all of us.  Jesus instructs us to keep an eye out and pray faithfully for the world is filled with temptation, and if we are not wise and awake to it, we will stumble and fall.

We must be vigilant in our focus on Jesus.  There are plenty of worldly distractions, and when we are not distracted, our faith can be under duress such that we grow tired and weary.  But today’s verses should help us understand that Jesus knows this and instructs us to ‘keep watch and pray’ for “(God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)  By doing this, we are always on a mission for God.  Are there areas of your faith that need an awakening?  What will you do to stay alert to God’s prompting?  My prayer is that as we begin to reflect on the final days of Christ on earth, let us remember to stay alert to God at all times so that we do not fall asleep at the wheel.  Amen.

Split Decisions

 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.  James 1:5-8

As much as I love the Lord and follow Him, there are times that I struggle with the latter.  It is not because I do not want to follow God.  Instead, I feel torn between the love I have for my fellow man and the love I have for God.  It explains why I really struggle with condemnation.  Sure, we all must be accountable for our sins and grow to be better advocates for God.  But there are people who I love dearly, and God has said that they are living in sin.  That’s a tough pill to swallow!  Thus, my world feels like it is unstable.  These are the times I realize my spiritual growth is a continual work in progress.

The word of God is meant to be a spiritual guide.  We all have situations where we are either unsure of what to do or how to respond on a spiritual matter.  The words of James thus seem to be words of condemnation for those in that divided world.  In fact, lots of the Book of James seems like it (ex. Faith is dead without good works – James 2:26b).  However, these are words of guidance and clarity.  If we look at these verses through that lens, one receives God’s wisdom in reading it, and thus is not in the ‘should not expect to receive anything from the Lord’ camp.  The words are welcome to the troubled and torn because they give direction.  We must look at the word of God, and pray that we find guidance in it and have both the courage and conviction to follow it.

Following God is not meant to be easy as Jesus said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” (Matthew 7:13)  But do not be discouraged by your past and current struggles for after telling Peter he would deny Him, Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:1-2)  It is ok to struggle with things God says to us.  The key is to keep walking toward Him.  Never give up.  Never lose faith.  What is your struggle with God today?  How will you continue to rely on God when split between God and the world?  My prayer is that we continually challenge ourselves to rely on God when facing split decisions.  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - How long is your arm?

Are you able to reach everything you need to reach or fulfill all your promises that require the use of your arms? Do you have any limitations?

How long is God’s arm? Does He have any limitations?  

During the Israelites’ desert travels to the promise land, they complained frequently. After about a year of travel, they wailed about not having any meat to eat. God had faithfully and miraculously provided manna for them to eat, but they weren’t satisfied with His choice of provision. Hearing their wailing, He promised to give them meat not just for one day but until they loathed it. However, Moses wondered where God was going to get all that meat!

Numbers 11:21-23         ²¹ But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²² Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” ²³ The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

When God promises something, you can be sure it will happen! His arm isn’t too short. He doesn’t have any limitations.    

Do you and I believe all of God’s promises in His Word? 
Do you and I believe all His commands and warnings, as well?

What God says is fully trustworthy, whether it’s a promise, command or a warning.   

Alice