Hello FBC!
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
(Matthew 26:41)
Last Sunday I challenged all of us to become faithful in prayer, according to Paul’s direction in Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” In our New Testament reading today in the One Year Bible, we see a similar charge: watch and pray. Unfortunately, as we read the account
by
Matthew we see that the disciples failed. They not only failed to pray, they even failed to stay awake! “They did not have enough compassion toward Jesus even to stay awake with Him during the stressful night of His arrest, and when the crowd arrived to arrest Him, Matthew tells us that all Jesus’ disciples ‘left Him and fled.'” (The Gospel Transformation Bible) Sadly, that often describes us, doesn’t it? Jesus (obviously) knew what He was talking about when He said, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” But I find encouragement in this account as we consider “the rest of the story.”
“Jesus knew that His disciples would be faithless, but He offered them the hope of forgiveness and restoration in His comment that, after His resurrection, He would go before them to Galilee (26:32). The death to which their unfaithfulness had consigned Him was a death for the forgiveness of this sin also (26:28).” (GTB) Jesus knows our weakness! But He offers not only
forgiveness,
but also restoration to usefulness in His kingdom. Think of how each of the disciples (except Judas of course) went on to be used in such amazing ways by the Lord! So when you get frustrated with yourself about your prayer life, or you fall asleep
yet again
when trying to read your Bible, don’t despair. When you fall down, don’t stay down. Get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. And ask Him to help you. Ask Him not only to teach you how to pray, but also to help you practice it more faithfully, steadfastly, watchfully, and thankfully. Seems to me that that is a prayer that is in accordance with His will – I trust He will answer!
This Sunday the men from Adult & Teen Challenge in Shedd will be our special guests. They have amazing testimonies to share
of
God’s powerful grace in their lives. You’ll be encouraged by their stories. Remember that there is a time of sharing finger foods, so bring something if you can! We will be receiving a love offering for the ministry of Teen Challenge at the end of the service. Please come with a generous gift to help support the great work being done.
Lastly, this weekend Elizabeth and I will be celebrating our 22nd anniversary! (She should get some sort of prize.) I’m so thankful to the Lord for giving me such a gracious gift. She’s more than I deserve. I also want to thank you, our church family, for letting her be who she is. She is not “the pastor’s wife,” she is “Elizabeth.” And you’ve allowed her to use her gifts and passions to serve the Lord in her own way, instead of expecting her to meet some stereotype. We’ve experienced some serious challenges, difficult times, and frustrations with each other over these years. But we’ve also experienced great joys, tremendous triumphs, and an abundance of grace. And it is only the grace of God and a commitment to trying to follow His Word and His ways that can make a marriage all God intended it to be.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14)
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael