The Word for wisdom:
Proverbs 4:14-15 (NLT)
14 Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. 15 Don't even think about it; don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
The Word for inspiration:
Psalm 147:7 (NLT)
Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp.
The Word for encouragement:
Luke 22:39-42 (HCSB)
39 He went out and made His way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. 40 When He reached the place, He told them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 "Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."
My observation:
Today we return to the passage in Luke that describes the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a familiar place, so much so that Luke simple said, "when he reached the place".
Matthew 26:36 (HCSB)
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
It is often good to follow the example of Jesus and have a place where you can meet alone with God, away from the crowd and the noise of everyday life. On this occasion the disciples of Jesus followed him. However, they did not follow his example. He went to pray, but they went to sleep.
Luke 22:45-46 (HCSB)
45 When He got up from prayer and came to the disciples, He found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. 46 "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you won't enter into temptation."
The disciples were no doubt tired, and were beginning to feel the stress of what was before them. Jesus had taught them for three years, and prepared them for the mission that he would give them. What they needed to do now was to pray, but they neglected what was most needful.
If you want to be able to resist the temptations you will face in doing the will of God, you must cultivate the discipline to pray. You cannot do the Father's will unless you learn to persevere in prayer.
My prayer:
Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so blessed to have a Father in heaven that is the source for all that I need in life and in death. Father, I thank you that I have a Savior in Jesus who loves and cares for me more than anyone on earth or in heaven. Father, I thank you that I have the presence of the Holy Spirit living in me continually.
Father God, I pray for the faith and the faithfulness to persevere in prayer, and appropriate the presence and power of the triune God that is available to help me do the will of God. Father, I thank you that there is nothing in the will of God that is beyond the reach of prayer.
My song:
He will Carry You (Click on link below to listen to this song by Lynda Randle):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riVqgXw2xVQ
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http://www.herbcotton.org
To receive via email: Send request to me at: herb@herbcotton.org
A man's steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.
Psalm 103:14 (HCSB)
For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
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