Come Follow Me - A Journey Through Lent

Matthew 26:36-46

After all these years my heart still goes out to any person I see wearing dental braces. It reminds me of the time of my life when I had to endure those mechanisms. I remember the pain they could cause me on occasion, especially soon after they were adjusted tighter. I hated wearing them and wondered why I had to go through the ordeal. The only thing that kept me from getting rid of them was the fact that my parents wanted them for me and spent hard earned dollars on them. In the end I came out the winner with a nice straight smile.

When I read the story of Gethsemane it tugs at my heart. Jesus experienced fear that many do not know. The contrast is evident; in verse 38 Jesus shares with His disciples that He is deathly fearful of the fate that awaits Him. By verse 40 the disciples have already fallen asleep and not for the first time. Jesus knew what His dad expected of Him. The power was His to back out, but He resolved that it had to be His father’s decision to do so. God equipped Him that night in the garden, and because Jesus yielded to His father’s will, all who believe, come out winners.

I am in the middle of renovating our bathroom. In order to do a proper job, I have to strip everything out of it and replace or refinish all the components. That is how our lives are with God. He takes the parts of our lives that need renovating and refurbishes them. This explains, in part, why in our Christian walk we experience; fear, failure, awkwardness, embarrassment, pain and any number of things that move us out of our comfortable place. If we view these things with Kingdom eyes and give them over to the Lord, He causes us to grow in the likeness of His Son. …And we come out the winner.

“give thanks in all circumstances” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Submitted by Tim Klein