Read today’s texts first: Deuteronomy 5,6; Psalm 43; Mark 14
MAXIMize YOUR DAY
Sometimes the spirit is willing but the flesh is “asleep!”
More of the same today - me nodding off again while reading the Bible, and another reminder from those readings to stay awake. In this account it’s the disciples who can’t keep their eyes open. They know Jesus is distressed and sorrowful (14:33), facing betrayal and a possible death sentence. He urges them to stay awake and stand guard while He goes into the garden to pray. Three times He comes back to find them sound asleep (32-41).
You would think after their intense last supper with Jesus, the disciples would be aware of how important the next few hours would be. If not, what Jesus said next should have given them a clue: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (38). We can only guess, but had they stayed awake and prayed with Jesus, maybe they wouldn’t have deserted Him during the tortuous hours ahead.
But the real sequel to this “wake-up” theme is found in the OT reading. Not only do we need to be vigilant for our own good but also to safeguard our children. As the protective Hebrew nation moved into the promised land, they were being exposed to the perversion of other nations, much like Christian families experience today. While some parents try to shelter their kids through Christian schools or home-schooling, that may not be enough. We need to help our children wake up to evil in our world and teach them how to follow God’s Word. The advice in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 applies to parents today: talking about God and His commands with our kids as they start and end each day, reading it, posting it on our walls, memorizing it, and, most of all, living it!
“Lord, thank You for the opportunity I now have to spend more time with my grand kids. Help me as I help them wake up spiritually, learning to hate evil and love You and Your Word!”
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