“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””(Mark 14:38)
Its interesting how quickly our minds often tend to think of our tendency towards sin when we consider this verse. But Jesus is just talking about the disciples failure to stay up and pray with him. He was talking about their natural tendency to sleep, and inability to fight against it. Jesus was here being kind and essentially saying “don’t worry about it, I know you wanted to pray with me.”
Aren’t you grateful Jesus knows how frail we are? Perhaps you decided to get up early this morning to pray, but accidentally hit snooze and then woke in a panic late for work! Some Christians would respond by feeling terribly guilty. Jesus would just smile lovingly at us, and perhaps gently suggest we go to bed earlier tonight so we are better able to get up.
Are you understanding towards others when they just can’t do something? Or do you find it irritating? Pray that God will help us to demonstrate to others the same kindness and understand he demonstrates to us.
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