Today’s Scripture Threshing for Saturday, April 27, 2019
Today’s Text: Mark 14:32-42
Key Verses: Mark 14:38 (ESV): “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Temptation is an inevitable part of life. It is even truer for theChristian life; but our Lord assures us that careful living with entrusting our lives to God in prayer is a sure way to victory. His exhortation to watch and pray is given in almost identical terms in Matthew and Mark’s accounts.
This admonition to ‘watch and pray’ is necessary because we often take our world and environment for granted; otherwise why would the three who saw Christ’s agony in Gethsemane so little affected that they slept? There are two versions of what our Lord actually said or meant before us today: First, it might mean He wants them to watch Him in that heart-subduing sight as He prayed with strong crying and tears, and do the same.
Gethsemane is an oil-press ground and garden to which Jesus often resort with His disciples on many happy prayer times. Why this so different sets a second version of ‘watch and pray’ clearly before us. The hour of temptation looms for Him and they all. He desired a shift and wanted them to watch for Him. He saw they were willing, in their body, to watch; but spiritually they are weak. The more reason for them to pray put them to sleep. Unfortunately, this is not different with us. We live in the real hour of temptation and instead of agonizing, we are lost organizing or sleeping. Hence, we’re called to wake up, to watch and to pray.
Quote for the Day: “O how we need to stop looking at our Redeemer's agony for lost sinners in a drowsy manner. Rather, we must awake from slumber, and pray in harvesters and harvest.” (Simon Olatunji)
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be more watchful in prayer. Deliver me from slipping and hold me up when I’m not supposed to be sleeping—in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
With all my Love and Prayer,
Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, PhD
The Darling Bishop (DaBishop),
2321 S Belt Line Rd., Suite 144,
Grand Prairie TX 75051 USA
Email: reachingout@hopeforallnations.org
BBMme: E3F988D2
[Today’s Scripture Threshing is a devotional guide of The House of Prayer Evangel Church USA. Feel free to use it in your family altar and personal quiet times; and to contact us for further enquiry, help and partnership.]
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