Volume 25, Issue 10
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 5
Perspectives Opinions • Commentary • Letters
From the Publisher...
Don’t Let Your Weak Flesh Stop You
By Rob Pue March 2025 In the hectic activity of our daily lives, it’s easy
only to find them asleep. They were understand- ably tired and worn out. Most likely, none of them could truly grasp the magnitude of the sit-
nity — to witness to others, to minister to and serve others, to be ready with answers to deep spiritual questions, to snatch the souls of those
to become comfortable and complacent when it comes to our personal devotion to God and our own personal spiritual condition. Many attend church weekly, but many others don’t have a good, solid Bible-teaching church in their area. Many have good intentions to study God’s Word daily, and many actually do, but for others, their daily devotional and prayer time can easily end up on the “back burner” when life gets busy, and we get tired.
who are ignorant and about to perish from deception, confusion, delusion and ultimately, eternal damnation. That’s what Jesus’ disciples eventually went on to do with their lives, after He returned to sit at the right hand of God. But before they could go forth and minister to all the world, they first needed to really understand the things of God and cultivate great reverence, honor and awe of Him in their own hearts. It was only after they were so deeply spiritually moved that their “flesh” became strong — strong enough to endure any type of persecution and
I understand that many of us are tired these days. We need to work hard and
put in long days to earn a living, and the cost of everything has risen substantially with rampant inflation and price increases due to “shortages” — many of which I believe are intentionally im- posed on us by nefarious groups. And work is only a part of our lives. We also have busy home lives, with cleaning, maintenance, repairs, bro- ken appliances and house projects to do. Then we have family commitments and at the end of the day, it’s not uncommon to simply be worn out. Worship of, and reverence for God is something all Christ-followers have in their hearts, some- thing we certainly want to make a priority, but often times, life just gets in the way, unless we are intentional about our spiritual commitment. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, and today, both the spirit and flesh easily grow weary. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and told His disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Tarry ye here and watch with Me.” This was just after the Last Supper, when our Lord had shown Himself to be the ultimate Ser- vant of all. He’d washed His disciples’ feet, in- structing us to learn the humility to do likewise as we follow Him in service and ministry to oth- ers. It was an intimate, significant moment in history. But then after asking His disciples to watch with Him, He went further on by Himself, fell on His face and prayed to the Father, asking if it would be possible that the cup of wrath would pass from Him. But He added, “neverthe- less, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” The scene here is one of great spiritual distress, turmoil and sorrow. Jesus knew what was com- ing and that He must face it. He knew He would soon suffer and be killed in the cruelest of ways, to defeat the works of the devil and offer the only way of salvation and reconciliation for mankind to return to God the Father.
uation at hand, and though He had asked them to “watch” with Him, they all fell asleep.
hardship and gain the ability to deny themselves in order to serve the King of kings...willing to “love not their own lives, even unto death.” Are we that devoted and committed to our Lord? I doubt many of us are. Not really. Our spirit may be willing, but we always have an ex- cuse. Can we not devote one hour to our Creator and Savior each day? And if we, who know the truth, are unable to reverence and honor the Lord like this, how much more lost are those who have never heard the Word, because no one has ever told them? Our world today is about as Godless as it’s ever been. As I follow our local news, I grieve as I see the weekly “crime gallery.” This is a published listing of mug shots of people arrested for various crimes. The people range in age from 18 to 85. The crimes run the gamut from forgery to identity theft, to child abuse, drug use, drunk driving, and extreme violence against others; even mur- der. I look at the faces of those arrested and see broken people and lost souls. What’s missing from their life is just one thing: God. If they knew God, reverenced Him, feared Him, honored Him...their lives would have been so different. Instead, most are now facing inevitable prison time and a life in ruins. Not to mention the many other lives they’ve destroyed with their crimes. And for each face I see in the “crime gallery,” I know there are a great many more just like them who just haven’t been caught yet. Yes, our world is filled with people who don’t know the Lord or anything about Him and if they do, there’s no re- spect, fear or worship of Him. You can rarely go anywhere in public without hearing foul language or seeing people — young and old — so confused, lost and deluded. I have empathy for the crimi- nals because I know that without God in my own life, this could very well be me. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanc- tified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Should we not fall to our knees daily in thankfulness, praise and worship of the One Who saved us? Can we not “watch one hour?” Have we become so cavalier, so comfortable and complacent that we’ve come to take God and our spiritual life for granted? Are you satisfied with your current spiritual state, or do you have a deep desire to grow more, to reverence God more, to honor Him more, to worship and serve Him more? Do you already have that intimate, personal relationship with your Creator and Savior you so long for? Or...is something missing, and you know it?
Even Peter, who had just vowed to never aban- don Jesus, had fallen asleep in His greatest time of need. Matthew 26:40, “And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, ‘What, could ye not watch with Me one hour?’” Peter must have been ashamed of him- self. But Jesus went away alone again to pray — two more times — and each time He returned to the disciples, they were sound asleep. By that time, Judas, the one who betrayed Him, had arrived with his group of killers, sent by the chief priests and religious elders to arrest Him. The time to “watch” with Jesus was over, and upon His arrest, all His followers, including Peter, “forsook Him and fled.” Indeed, our spirits may be willing, but our flesh is so weak. What would have made the disciples’ flesh stronger in that moment of fear? Paying more attention to the Lord’s words, His teach- ings, His commands. Having the spiritual eyes to see and discern the gravity of the situation. Understanding that in everything that happens in our lives, every time of opportunity is there for just a fleeting moment. The door of opportunity always closes quickly, and slams shut tightly. I would submit to you that this time in the Gar- den of Gethsemane, at the base of the Mount of Olives was the most significant time of testing the disciples had ever faced up to that point. It was also the most significant time in the history of mankind, second only to Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. Yet Jesus’ disci- ples couldn’t grasp the significance. In our modern world today, we’re presented with many times of great significance in our lives, but we usually underestimate what’s right before our eyes, and only understand later, when it’s too late. Those times of opportunity pass quickly, and the door of opportunity slams shut with a bang. Then we grieve as we realize what we missed.
Then He came back to where His disciples were,
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A n d today, we stand at t h e thresh- old of g r e a t o p e n doors of opportu-
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