January 2 Devotion

 

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

     Jesus was perfectly aware that He was about to face His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He knew all of the things He would face from that point on.  He simply asked the disciples to stay and keep watch while he went off to pray, but they could not even stick with that one task, as He returned to find them sleeping.  However, I’m thinking that it probably wasn’t that much of a surprise to Jesus.

     Jesus knows the human heart, and when He said, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” it could also refer to a number of other temptations we could face as humans.  That is why He asks us to pray so that you may not yield to it.  As we pray, we can ask the Lord to guide us so that we are not tempted in the first place.

     It is good to know we have a God who understands us through and through, and it is also good to know that when we do fail Him, forgiveness is available as we acknowledge our sins.  Better yet, God can guide us so that we don’t have to repeat the same misdeeds over and over again.  Learning and growing in our faith is made possible by the grace of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for being patient with me.  As a forgiven sinner, I am thankful for the grace you extend to me, and I ask that you help me to become more mature in the faith as time goes on.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.