Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day:

 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!”  Matthew 26:40-41 (NLT)

²⁸  “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. ³⁰  For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”   Matthew 11:28-30 (TEV) 

“why is there so little anxiety to get time to pray?  Ist is the want of these solitary hours that not only injures our growrh in grace, but makes us such unprofitable members of the church of Christ – and that renders our lives…useless.  ( Celtic Prayer Book – Devotion for 12/17)

In the hectic-ness of my trip to the Philipinnes, it has been far to easy to skip my “devotional time”.  The time where I deliberately try and slow down, or let God slow me down.  A time to relax – and listen – mostly listen to God’s love for me.  It can be, it is revealed through the scriptures, through the devotional reading I do – through givning him my anxieties, my burdens – and as I am realizing on this trip – my pains.

You see – if this time is to be devotional – then the result of it should be a time where I grow in my devotion to God – a devotion that is lived out in my daily work, my pastoring, my being a husband, a father, and to many a friend.  The time isn’t to prove my devotion to God – a discipline that proves to Him my love, but a time where His presence, in which I realize I am – all the time – strengthens me, cleanses, me, comforts and consoles me.

I used to hear Jesus’ words to the apostles in Gethsemane as a plea for them to prove their love to Him.  Even used that in sermons – “come on you lazy people – can’t you just pray and read scripture for an hour?  Really?  Not even a tithe of your time!  Sheesh!”  And oh I was wrong.

Look at ALL the words – Jesus is wanting them to pray for their sake, so they will not fall for temptation, for Jesus realizes our hearts desire His presence, our hearts desire not to sin, BUT, our flesh can often fail us – flesh meaning we live in a broken world, and we often fall – not because of anything else bu that we’ve taken our eyes off of God… again. Walking with Jesus in prayer – letting Him build our desire, our devotion to Him as He reveals Himself to us, through His word, through prayer, through the sacraments, is what strengthens us each and every day.

Maybe its not an hour – but 20 minutes here and there – taking time to pray, to listen, to adore the God who has come to us.

That’s what we so desperately need….this sacred time, this point of being set apart – just He and His people –  not to prove our devotion…but to reveal His.

Lord Have Mercy!