You know, I so want to love God with all my heart. I want to be loyal, obedient, kind, patient, filled with joy. I know God loves me. I know that Jesus loves me and that He gave His life to pay for all my sin—this is the greatest gift anyone could ever dream of receiving. So, in light of all that God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit have blessed me with—when I think of all that I have to be thankful for, both spiritual blessings and material blessings, why would I ever get irritated and impatient? Why would I act in unloving and selfish ways? I was like that this morning. One little thing bugged me, and here I am. Irritated and impatient. I open my Bible.
In the book of John (chapters 13-17), I read about how Jesus spent the night before He died with His disciples. He washed their feet. He said one of them would betray Him. He commanded them to love on another, in the same way that He Himself loved them. He told one of His disciples, Peter, that he, who professed undying loyalty to Jesus, would repeatedly say that he didn’t even know Jesus. Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them. Jesus gave them a lot to think about on this last night before He died. This certainly brings some perspective to my little problem—my problem is nothing compared to what Jesus faced that night.
The other thing Jesus did that night was pray. What did He pray for? If it was us, we would pray for escape from death, right? Not Jesus. He prayed that God would be glorified…and He prayed for His disciples…and He even prayed for me! “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me” (John 17:20). Jesus prayed for all believers who would come. As He’s about to die for me, Jesus prayed for me! Every-single-day, constant prayer was how Jesus lived—Him, who was without sin. That says a lot about the importance of prayer, doesn’t it? Prayer is one of the ways that God has given us to connect with Him. It is a gift, so we have a way to talk to God. It’s pretty hard to have a relationship with someone you don’t talk to, right? So, as I consider how my morning went haywire with my irritation and impatience, I can see that one of the things missing for the last several days is spending time in prayer. When I neglect praying, my emotions take over—I’m irritable and impatient. Prayer keeps me in tune with what God desires, I am reminded of all I have to be thankful for. Prayer reminds me of what’s important, it takes my focus off of me and places my attention on the real treasure in my life, Jesus…His sacrifice for my sin, His love for me, His obedience to God no matter what the cost to Himself. When I pray, I’m humbled, I confess sin, and I am reunited with my Lord and Savior. Sin separates me from God. Prayer and confessing my sin reunites me with Him. Prayer restores my soul! How is it possible that I wouldn’t pray nonstop, just like Jesus??
Sin separates everyone from God. Maybe you are wandering through life, scared that this is all there is. Without Jesus, this is all there is. Faith in Jesus is the only way to real life. It doesn’t mean life turns into a bed of roses, and it doesn’t mean you just add church to your schedule. What it means is you consider your sin, you consider what Jesus did about sin, you confess your sin, and you pray that Jesus might have mercy on you and forgive you. There’s a cost—giving up your sin. Maybe you love your sin too much. Only you know. But the gift you receive is life through believing in Jesus. Think about it. If you need prayer or a Bible, let me know.
