“NAPPING IN GETHSEMANE”

 

I profit from reading the blog, “Red Letter Believers.”  David Rupert on March 30, 2015 wrote an article on “Napping in Gethsemane.”  It caught my attention and I want to share some of his and my thoughts with you.

The Good News given by Matthew, Mark and Luke tell of Jesus agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here was where the real battle between life and death was fought.  The prayer of Jesus was agonizing.  So intense that red sweat stained his white robe on this blackest night. The sorrow was excruciatingly deep, painful and overwhelming.  Jesus had asked His three closest friends to “keep watch with Him.”  Despite the urgency of His appeal, Peter, James and John missed out on the eternal significance of the moment.  After all, their bellies were full from the Passover meal. The hour was late so sleep came easily.  Jesus woke them, probably not with a gentle nudge or a soft tap. he was disturbed and said in disbelief, “Couldn’t you stay awake with Me for just a little while?”  Jesus was in an eternal struggle for the very souls of mankind, and here they were, napping in Gethsemane.

My reaction, and perhaps yours too, is condemnation.  Didn’t they know the heaviness of Jesus’ heart?  Couldn’t they be there for their friend?  But this story is not  just about a group of first century slackers who fell asleep on the job.
It is about me.  I too have been found asleep in the garden.  My Christian life is filled with promises to stay awake, but too often, I just nod off.  My life is often marked with indifference and complacency.  Sometimes, I have been known to ‘just not care.’  I keep hoping that someone else will fill the gap, that another will take my watch. I pray that other servants will demonstrate Jesus to those around me, while I just get a little more rest.  To keep and maintain relationships takes effort.  I miss so much when I am not fully awake.

Other imperfect saints, just like me, make up the Church.  Together, we need to be awake and make it work.  Jesus knows that living in the real world is hard.  Still, he comes to us, repeatedly, and says, “Watch and pray with Me.”
When we live awake, with our eyes open, we begin to see the needs of those around us.  We see the tears and can shoulder the burden of sadness. We see the smiles and can join in the celebration.  And finally, fully engaged, we can share in the suffering of the garden, the burden of the cross and the joy of the resurrection together.

Jesus is asking and counting on each one of us to share with Him in His watch “to seek and to save the lost.” 

 

 

“DON’T BE AFRAID”

A statement spoken by Jesus many times was “Arise, and be not afraid.”  The Master spoke these words on the Mount of Transfiguration to His three friends: Peter, John and James.  These are the words of Jesus to the disciples on the deck of a storm tossed ship, “It is I be not afraid.”  Again, to the mourners at the death of the daughter of Jairus,  “Be not afraid, only believe.”   What fear froze the hearts of the disciples as Jesus spoke to them of His approaching death, “Let not your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid.”  Jesus continually counseled His followers not to be afraid.

God through Paul tells us how Christianity can make people triumphant over fear.  2 Timothy 1:7  “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”   Realize, that God is not the author of fear.
Rather, He gives us an inner power.  The Apostle Paul with all his trials demonstrated this truth when he said, “I can do every thing through Him who gives me  strength.”   Philippians 4:13   The source of our power to be overcomers is God.   This is our way out of fear. Our strength comes from being God’s child and doing God’s will as recorded in the Bible .
God also gives us the spirit of love.   This love is tough love enabling us to survive in a difficult world.
We must learn to love what God loves and that is people, all kinds of people.  We must love others just like God in Christ Jesus has loved us. The Apostle John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.”   First John 4:18-19   We must accept God’s perfect love for us and then be an extension of that love to others.
God gives us a sound mind.  A disciplined mind will not allow exaggerated anxieties or the refusal to face actual facts overcome us with fear.  Jesus would have us have a clear mind to dispel our fears.  When we live by the truth of God’s word, we have the kind of thinking that overcomes fear.  We fight our fears with faith.

A young man was cleaning a space for a garden.  He had raked, hoed, cut weeds, carried off brush. But, one big rock laid right in the middle of his garden.  He pulled and shoved but he could not move it.  His father standing off to the side watching asked him how he was doing. The boy said that he just could not move that big rock.  The father asked him if he had used all of his strength. The boy said that he had.  The father replied, “no, you have not.”  The boy surprised said, “What do you mean?”  The father simply said, “you have not asked me.”

Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the ages.”  Our fears are overcome by our trust in Jesus.

THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY

How surprising that there is one gift better than all others.  This gift anyone and everyone can have. Paul shows in the 13th chapter of First Corinthians that LOVE is superior to all extraordinary gifts.  Why?  Because love is the way to avoid division.  Division was a problem in the early church just as it is today among Christians.  Let’s look briefly at this chapter on love.  Paul is not condemning spiritual gifts, but emphasizing the need for love to make all things meaningful and acceptable to God.

Verses 1-3  The gifts, talents, abilities a person has, if not accompanied by love, are useless.
God desires a loving heart not a glib tongue.
God desires a loving heart not simply a wise head.
God desires a loving heart not conceited motives.

Verses 4-7  What does love do?  How does love act?
Love is patient, sweet, not jealous, not show-offs, not conceited, not graceless, concerned about others, not angered, not suspicious, not glad when others go wrong, trustful, thinks positive thoughts about others, unconquerable.
Anne Frank said, “God help bad people to be good and good people to be nice.”

Verses 8-13  Everlastingness of love.
Verse 13 “And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”
Love never fails.  This cannot be said of anything else in this world.  Faith will give way to sight.  Hope will give way to reality.  Love will continue forever.

Love is the greatest.  Pursue love.

What is love?  “Love is active concern for the life and growth of that which we love.”  Erich Fromm
Love is intelligent good will.  Love is an intelligent decision to do that which is best for another.
I Corinthians 16:14  “Do everything in love.”