Daily Devotional for Friday 12th July
Live According to God’s Will
Have you ever been so tired that keeping your eyes open is a challenge? I remember in my maths mock exam, keeping my eyes open was a challenge and I ended up sleeping on my desk. Safe to say the exam invigilators weren’t impressed. It’s also clear that Jesus wasn’t too impressed with the disciples here either.
Tiredness is on everyone’s lips. If you ask someone how they are, you either get “good thanks” or “tired”. We almost always seem to be tired. I feel tired when I’ve done a 30,000-foot hike up a mountain or if I don’t do anything all day.
So what was Jesus upset about? Is it ok to be so exhausted that we cannot stay awake anymore? Jesus escaped to pray with His Father and finding a quiet place was important to Him, but He said this really interesting thing when He got back to the disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (v38). What temptation? What weakness?
Jesus had something the disciples had not yet been given, the Holy Spirit. When we are called to do something by God, He doesn’t expect us to do it alone. He gave us His spirit to help us overcome our weakness, the flesh (aka our bodies or worldly desires). In Acts 2 we see God sending His Holy Spirit down to be the disciples' helper to support them in their mission for the great commission Jesus asked of the disciples in Matthew 28.
I am always tempted. Especially when I’m fasting or on a special diet. Our bodies crave something to satisfy itself. It wants something that will only last a short time. But what the spirit wants is something that will last for eternity. The disciples wanted to sleep which would have given them temporary rest, but Jesus wanted them to seek His Spirit to empower them. We have that same power with the Holy Spirit to outwork all that Jesus has planned for us if we so choose it. All we have to do is say “Yes Jesus. I’m all in” and He will guide us with His spirit to cover our weaknesses and be our strength when we feel we cannot do it on our own.
Time to reflect…
Is there something you want strength in from the Holy Spirit? What temptations do you want the Holy Spirit to help you with?
Pause to pray…
Jesus, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to strengthen us. Thank you He is our helper and our guide to do the work you have called us to do. Give us the wisdom to know where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Thank you for your wonderful gift of salvation and for going through such pain for me. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
