Continued from yesterday’s post…

The Roman mob comes to arrest Jesus and here are the disciples, probably jaw-dropped at this point, having no clue as to their role in this situation.  What do the disciples do?  Peter (John ratted him out) grabs a sword to save the day, save the world in his mind and rescue Jesus.  Or so he thinks. 

⁵² “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands^[h] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? ⁵⁴ But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

Oh I am so guilty of this (I have yet to cut off someone’s ear)…but I do get in God’s way and try to save the day or rescue myself from anything discomforting.  Financial trouble – quick let me get a job, any job will do.  Discipline problems – quick let me fix my kids and ride them how ever long it takes until they turn into obedient angels (hasn’t happened yet).  Marriage struggles- quick let me do everything I can to ‘change’ my husband (that’s an act of God).  Sickness – quick let me eat everything as healthy as can be and exercise every minute I can squeeze in, or better yet, maybe I can worry about it every second I have and drive my body further into despair.  Kid’s making bad choices- quick let me freak out and call all my friends for advice and read every book they tell me to and try every crazy quick-fix-my-kid suggestion.

Sound familiar? I am a master at REACTING…and it’s the quick, no time for thought reaction. Panic sets in when we are not alert and alive in God’s word.  He has a plan, He fulfills that plan.  We are called to know Him, praise Him, love Him, and live in Him…and then spread that wisdom and love to the world.  We are not called to spread anxiety, stress, worry, or doubt.  The world has enough unbelievers…we are believers…and so we must spread BELIEF!

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Dear Father-

Praise Your name that You have overcome the world…all the mess of the world has been diminished by You.  It is not left for us to hash through, mull over or become accustomed to.  We are not called to live in it, but to rise above the troubles of the world with praise and worship of our Creator, our Lover, our God.  In You may I live each day, alert and alive, ready for Your goodness.  I love you!

A

Source :Matthew 26:52-54, NLT; John 16:33, NIV

Alert and Alive

‘Garden of Gethsame’… Words can not describe this time or this place in the life of Jesus.  Personally, I do not even like to imagine what Jesus humanly suffered in this garden.  There is a reason God doesn’t reveal the future to us…we could not handle it as Jesus did.  But Jesus’ time in the garden we will study another day.  Here let’s focus on the disciples…because I can totally relate to how they chose to spend this time with Jesus.

They slept!  There was no sense of urgency in their actions, no reason to be on guard or alert, no deep-seated, hysterical anxiety…obviously they didn’t get the intensity or seriousness of what Jesus meant when He said He would be crucified.

⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

⁴² Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away^[g] unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴ So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Yes, there are so many times in my walk with Jesus, that I am asleep, not alert, and anything but intentional.  Jesus warns His disciples (and us) to pray, fervently, be on watch, lest we fall into temptation.  Lest we fall into anger, greed, self-righteousness…any and all of the above.  Our hearts want Jesus, but our bodies are accustomed to the instant gratification of this world.  If it’s not an immediate need to fulfill, it can wait, right?  On the flip side, if it will bring us more comfort in this world, let’s do whatever it takes to get it now.  It’s the unconscious motto of self.

In His words, you can feel Jesus’ heart, His anguish, His concern for His disciples.  It hurts.  And we know the hearts of each disciple all too well, we are tired and weary and don’t really understand where Jesus takes us sometimes and what He is asking of us and when it will end and why He can’t just rescue us and call it eternity already.  But He is reminding us…wait, don’t get caught up and comfortable in this world, be on guard, this is not your real home, with ME is your true home, it’s where your heart’s desires should cultivate.

Dear Father,

Praise Your name!  I just thank You for keeping the desire of holiness alert and alive in me.  It is so easy to let this life be our focus, to get caught up in the right-here-right-now syndrome.  Forgive me Father when I choose to not turn to You first.  You are it…my heart’s desire…may my life be a reflection of that.  I love You!

A

How our lives can change in a year, a month, a day, an hour. During this time last year my fate was enveloped in a dark cloud, consisting of the word ‘kanser.’ Everything was completely unclear, especially in the first week as we waited for answers through test results, doctor’s appointments, the nurse’s phone calls. We would go to sleep thinking of the unknown, yet only to wake up and pick up those same thoughts right were we left off. It’s crazy how much power we give our minds to wonder off…to bright futures…and to total dark places.

But isn’t all of life unknown? Does any one of us know our number of days? No. Yet we live as if tomorrow will always be there. Have you ever been around someone who knew their life was coming to an end? They live as we were meant to live. Most importantly, they love as we were meant to love. That’s living…that’s purpose! And not that I want that kanser scare back, but I want to remember the deep reflection and no-limits love I felt for those God has put in my life. How quickly I felt urgency to really live in relationship…to seek forgiveness for taking my marriage for granted, or not spending precious moments with my kids, or calling good friends that I had let slip away.

Unfortunately, my to-do list never shrinks and the mundane struggles of life will always be there…but will my loved-ones? Do they know how I deeply I love them just as they are? How I treasure them? Do they know my intense love for Jesus? And my desire for them to experience that same love?

Oh time! How I have prayed for you to stand still, but it is truly me that needs to learn to work with you.  My Time…God’s tool!

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31:27-28,31

Dear Father-
May I treasure the time You have given me. May I not waste one day, one hour, one minute living apart from You and Your ways. Help me, my Lord to focus on eternal matters before earthly. I pray that my love for You would overflow to those You have put before me! I love You!
A