He was horrified, and they fell asleep!!
Jesus, about to be arrested and crucified, told his three closest friends to, "Stay here and watch with me."(1) "Watch" refers to "being alert to spiritual dangers."(2) Jesus went a little further in the garden to pray, but not like we pray, and apparently prayer that was beyond the comprehension of his friends.
"The full impact of His death and its spiritual consequences struck Jesus and He staggered under its weight. The prospect of alienation from His Father horrified Him." (3)
Still, as He awakened His friends, He admonished them again, "Keep alert and pray", (4) meaning, "acknowledge dependence on God so that you will not fall into temptation." (5)
In the New Testament, Paul instructs believers, and especially leaders, to "watch" regarding their integrity, care and direction. (6) Jesus, however, instructed His disciples regarding only one other scenario in which to "Watch": regarding His return. He said according to Matt. 24.42 and Mark 13.35, "Therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day the Lord will come." Luke gives an account of a discussion that Jesus has with his disciples in the temple where He tells them to, "Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch. And pray...." (7)
As I attempt to apply this to my own life, I'm challenged to stay aware and alert to the prospect that He will return for me and it could be at any moment. Am I ready? Am I alert to spiritual dangers, such as dependence on myself, falling asleep (becoming lax) at critical times, the potential to fall into temptation, etc.? And am I committed to prayer...acknowledging my dependence on God so that I will not fall into temptation?
For more on this, Paul's instructions to the believers at various churches provide a little more substance and practical application to the idea of keeping watch (see footnote 6).
1 Matthew. 26.38, 40; Mark 14.34, 37
2 The Bible Knowledge Commentary
3 The Bible Knowledge Commentary
4 Matt. 26.41, Mark 14.38
5 The Bible Knowledge Commentary
6 Acts 20.31, 1 Cor. 16.13, Col. 4.2, 1 Thess. 5.6, 1 Tim. 4.16, 2 Tim. 4.5, Heb. 13.17, 1 Pet. 4.7
7 Luke 21.34-36a
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Where the Truth Lies
Have you ever observed someone who is so totally convinced of something that they believe is truth, but you know it's not truth...it's a perception that's skewed...it's a lie...?
As a kid, there was a closet door in our house where a knot in the grain of the wood appeared to be a scary face looking at me. Unfortunately, for me, the door was within view when I was lying in bed. It scared me...as if there was something evil about the door. But why? The door had no power over me whatsoever...it was just a piece of wood. So why was I scared? I believed (as truth) something about the lines and shapes and design in the wood, and that belief caused me to behave in ways that brought about fear, anxiety, inability to sleep at times, sometimes crying, ....
How different would my response have been if I would have believed actual truth rather than perceived truth. I would have recognized that I'm looking at a piece of wood that I have total control over...and could cut out any part of it that didn't look quite right. Of course, I would have had to face my parents in that scenario, but that's another story....
I was reading in Jeremiah this morning, chapter 14. Jeremiah was a prophet who, devoted to God, presented messages from God to God's people, Israel. Judah was a tribe of Israel, and in chapter 14, God sends a message through Jeremiah to Judah. After many strong warnings, because Judah had been so wicked and arrogant and chose to leave God behind, God sent a message that He would "'give [Judah] only war, famine and disease.'" (v.12)
Judah's own prophets, however, had been telling them that, "'All is well--no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.'" (v. 13)
Here's God's reply to Jeremiah in verse 14:
"Then the Lord said, 'These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.'"
After reading that this morning, it occurred to me just how important it is to have truth in our hearts. We can only speak truth out of truth. If I would have given instruction to someone when I was a kid about the closet door in our house or the impact it would have on someone to sleep in my room, my instruction would have been very skewed from the truth because of the lie I was believing in my heart.
We need to make sure that our "perceptions" of truth are really not lies but rather God's truth. It's why David, in Psalm 139, prayed,
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
David understood that his own perception of truth could be skewed and not really be truth at all, so he knew he needed God to continually search his heart for places where misperceptions have crept in. It was important for his own life, but extremely significant as a leader since his beliefs/perceptions of truth (or lies) impacted every person he was leading...and since his entire kingdom was dependent on what existed in his own heart.
How do you and I know that we are believing God's truth? We, first, must be willing to see where we're not...and pray as David did in Psalm 139. Then take a look, as David was willing to do, with God, at those anxious thoughts.
This may need a Part 2 eventually....
As a kid, there was a closet door in our house where a knot in the grain of the wood appeared to be a scary face looking at me. Unfortunately, for me, the door was within view when I was lying in bed. It scared me...as if there was something evil about the door. But why? The door had no power over me whatsoever...it was just a piece of wood. So why was I scared? I believed (as truth) something about the lines and shapes and design in the wood, and that belief caused me to behave in ways that brought about fear, anxiety, inability to sleep at times, sometimes crying, ....
How different would my response have been if I would have believed actual truth rather than perceived truth. I would have recognized that I'm looking at a piece of wood that I have total control over...and could cut out any part of it that didn't look quite right. Of course, I would have had to face my parents in that scenario, but that's another story....
I was reading in Jeremiah this morning, chapter 14. Jeremiah was a prophet who, devoted to God, presented messages from God to God's people, Israel. Judah was a tribe of Israel, and in chapter 14, God sends a message through Jeremiah to Judah. After many strong warnings, because Judah had been so wicked and arrogant and chose to leave God behind, God sent a message that He would "'give [Judah] only war, famine and disease.'" (v.12)
Judah's own prophets, however, had been telling them that, "'All is well--no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.'" (v. 13)
Here's God's reply to Jeremiah in verse 14:
"Then the Lord said, 'These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.'"
After reading that this morning, it occurred to me just how important it is to have truth in our hearts. We can only speak truth out of truth. If I would have given instruction to someone when I was a kid about the closet door in our house or the impact it would have on someone to sleep in my room, my instruction would have been very skewed from the truth because of the lie I was believing in my heart.
We need to make sure that our "perceptions" of truth are really not lies but rather God's truth. It's why David, in Psalm 139, prayed,
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
David understood that his own perception of truth could be skewed and not really be truth at all, so he knew he needed God to continually search his heart for places where misperceptions have crept in. It was important for his own life, but extremely significant as a leader since his beliefs/perceptions of truth (or lies) impacted every person he was leading...and since his entire kingdom was dependent on what existed in his own heart.
How do you and I know that we are believing God's truth? We, first, must be willing to see where we're not...and pray as David did in Psalm 139. Then take a look, as David was willing to do, with God, at those anxious thoughts.
This may need a Part 2 eventually....
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