41And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 22:41-44
3 Lessons from Jesus’ Prayer Life
**Pray Fervently
**Pray Regularly
Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
**Pray Persistently
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
One aspect of Christianity that separates it from virtually all other faith systems is the way God bestows His grace on us. Someone once described biblical grace as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Such a description is applicable indeed. We receive the best that God has through the sacrifice of Christ.
Jesus paid the debt so that we could be free. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that we could reconciled to God. Jesus endured the horrors of separation so that we would never be separated from God. God’s grace is amazing indeed!
I pray that you will be encouraged from the Scriptures with these thoughts about God’s amazing grace.
Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4
We are commanded to be thankful as Believers in Christ. Thankfulness is not a suggestion, it is a command. How can we grow in thanksgiving? How can we increase in giving thanks to God? Try these three steps.
**Realize your blessings. Take a moment each day and realize just how much God has blessed you. Take a look at your material blessings, your physical blessings, and your spiritual blessings. Write them down and take inventory of God’s goodness. This first step will put you on a path of thankfulness as we become cognizant of the bounty God has heaped upon us.
**Focus on what you have been given. Too often we focus our hearts upon the things we don’t have. God’s has blessed us mightily, but, we tend to focus our minds on what we have missed. If you desire to grow in thankfulness, focusing on God’s blessings will help you to comprehend the goodness and grace of God.
**Make thanksgiving a daily part of your prayer life. As you pray each day, give thanks. Paul tells us we are to make our requests known to God “with thanksgiving.” (Philippians 4:6) Praying with thanksgiving to God for His goodness multiplies our “thanksgiving quotient” as we grow in Christ.
Try these steps this week and it will make a difference. Let us strive, as Christians, to make Thanksgiving more than a season or a day. May we seek to make thanksgiving a way of life every day!
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
Psalm 145:8
As we study God’s Word, we find much encapsulated within this particular verse. This writing tells us something of the nature and character of God. What does it say to us?
**God is Gracious
God grants to us gifts and blessings which we do not deserve. He loves us when we are un-loveable. And He calls to human beings everywhere to repent and receive salvation.
**God is Compassionate
He doesn’t cast us aside and He continually seeks relationship with us. God is much more compassionate than we are. When our compassion wanes, God’s compassion is just beginning.
**God is Patient
God is “slow to anger.” He patiently waits and pursues, at the same time, those who are far from Him. This is not to say that God never becomes angry, for we know He does and rightfully so. Yet, His patience and longsuffering are astounding and wonderful to behold.
**God is Merciful
When we repent and trust Christ as our Savior, God graciously forgives us and spares us from what we truly deserve. His wrath was poured out upon Jesus. Therefore, He is just in mercifully keeping us from eternal separation from Himself and granting to us eternal life. (John 3:16) Mercy tells us that God withholds from us what we truly deserve.
“Love one another.” (John 13:34) This command is given 15 times in the New Testament. Over and over again, we, as Believers, are commanded to love one another. It is one of the most oft-repeated directives in all of Holy Scripture.
We should love one another because Christ first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Jesus’ love was shed abroad through His life, ministry, death, and resurrection. He loved us when we were far from Him. (Romans 5:8-11) Therefore, we should love one another as God has loved us. Christ’s love for us should serve as an impetus for loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let us also love one another because it reflects the character of God. The Scriptures teach us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Love is not optional if we desire to accurately reflect the truth of God as we seek to minister and witness to the lost. Our love for one another is a most powerful “proof” that we are in Christ. (John 13:35) People can argue with many things. But, they can’t argue with our love for one another when it is portrays the nature of God.
We ultimately love one another because it is commanded by the Word of God. The command is clear and direct. If we are Christians who take the Scriptures seriously, we must love our fellow believers.
Yes, we are called to love all people. Learning to love all people begins with learning to love our fellow Christian. It is not always easy, but, it is always worth the cost. Will you make a commitment to grow in your love for one another today?
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
God is immutable. In His essential nature and person, God never changes. He works in different ways at different times. But, He never alters or wavers in His attributes and in who He is. Consider the following…….
**God’s Power Never Changes
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Romans 1:16
**God’s Word Never Changes
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
**God’s Character Never Changes
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
**God’s Promises Never Change
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Luke 24:37-39
In this passage of Scripture, Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples as the resurrected Savior and Lord. He had promised that He would be resurrected from the dead. Now, they were experiencing the results of this miracle firsthand. Jesus, the one crucified just days earlier, stood before them in all of His resurrection glory.
But, contrary to the evidence in front of them, His disciples still doubted. They were startled and filled with fear. The need for Jesus reassurance was palpable as Christ reintroduced Himself to His followers.
We often struggle with doubt as Christians today. We know what we believe, yet, we have a difficult time appropriating what we believe in the midst of the uncertainties of life. Our difficulties often lead to doubt and, if we don’t deal with it, despair.
What is the answer for doubt? Faith! To overcome doubt we must hold to the truth of God despite all that may come our way. We must continue to believe no matter how bleak the situation looks. We must continue to trust God even when it seems all hope may be lost. We must believe in what has been revealed to us, not what we can merely see. Overcoming doubt requires a strengthening of our faith.
Faith grows as we remember that God is faithful. Faith increases as we recall God’s faithfulness in the past. It doesn’t happen overnight, but, focusing on faith in God will yield results.
Mind you, overcoming doubt is not a simple task. Perhaps we will struggle with doubt for the rest of our lives. However, we don’t have to life in doubt every single moment. We can learn to live in faith and trust. Doubt and fear can be replaced with hope and trust over time.
Dear Christian, let us commit to growing in faith and vanquishing doubt today!
Three thoughts for Believers today………………………………………….
God’s provision is more than enough (Romans 8:31-32)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
God’s purposes are never thwarted (Romans 8:28-30)
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
God’s love is never diminished (Romans 8:38-39)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Matthew 1:18-25
It is a glorious story. Christ has come to redeem his people.
It is a wonderful story. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
It is a powerful story. He is JESUS, the long awaited one.
May we give thanks and praise to Christ during this Season, and forevermore!
mrtonyfrench 