Phone-A-Friend

“I’d like to phone a friend, Regis.” Do you remember when “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” was a new, national phenomenon? “Phone-a-friend” was one of three “lifelines” a contestant could use when stumped or uncertain as to the answer to a question. (“Ask the audience” was the most reliable source of help it seemed, and “50:50” was the third option.)

Knowing his betrayal and crucifixion lay immediately before him, Jesus urged His disciples to throw out a lifeline: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation,” he told them, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41). I’m guessing Jesus was praying the same thing for Himself, for Luke tells us, “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43). Jesus prayed, and God provided—answered prayer. And aren’t we glad! Just think of the eternal ripple effects of Jesus’ fortification against temptation that history-hinging night. His sacrificial submission to the Father—“yet not my will, but yours be done”—means life to all who will receive the true life found only in Him. 

Praying for strength against temptation is something we do, but probably not as often as we should. I’m not sure why, because it’s not all that difficult. It can be as simple as a sincere, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” What counts is not how flowery our petitions, but how trustworthy God’s promises and how reliable His power. Promises like, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Or power, as in, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

How easy it is to fall into temptation, yet how important not to. So, we “watch and pray”—we “phone a Friend”—for He is our lifeline. A million times over, He is our lifeline. Aren’t we glad!

Father, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil, today. Provide me a way to stand firm, resisting the evil one until he leaves. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Click here to read today’s Scripture in Luke 22:39-46.]

God Moves Into the Desert

March 5

Scripture: Luke 22:66-71

After Jesus was arrested, He was taken to the Roman governor, a man named Pontius Pilate. When the people brought Jesus to Pilate, they said all kinds of unkind things about Him. Pilate asked Jesus if He was really the “Son of God.” Jesus said, “Yes, I am.” But Pilate did not believe Jesus. Instead, he decided to believe the unkind and untrue things the people said about Jesus. And so he sentenced Jesus to die on the cross.

Peter was Jesus’ closest friend and the leader of the disciples. The night Jesus was arrested however, Peter was afraid for his own life and ran away from Jesus. Some people in the courtyard recognized him and began to ask him if he was a disciple of Jesus. Peter got angry and said that he had never even seen Jesus. He denied Jesus. Even though Peter denied Jesus three times that night, Jesus loved Peter very much. After Jesus rose from the dead, He forgave Peter for denying Him.

Read and reflect on the passages.

1. Did Jesus receive a fair trial? Why or why not? While on trial, why do you think Jesus wasn’t clearer about who He was and what He had come to do?

2. What is one of the ways we can know Jesus is the Son of God?

3. Why do you think Peter denied Jesus? How did Peter feel when he realized what he had done?

—Jodi Coleman

Gratitude

“After taking the cup, [Jesus] gave thanks ... And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them ...”  Luke 22:17, 19

Stop and ask yourself, “When am I most thankful?”  [And take time to answer.  We can wait...]

Pondering this question, I identified three types of scenarios in which I find myself most thankful.

When someone helps with or eliminates an overwhelming challenge for me, I am especially grateful.  And greatly relieved!  For not only is the obstacle gone, so too is the anxiety that accompanied it.  Those are the moments when we pause and heave a great sigh of relief, “Thank you!” ... and “Thank you, God!”

Then there are the gifts that clearly involved great sacrifice, whether time or money.  When we were engaged, Peggy gave me for Christmas a beautiful quilt over which she had toiled for several months.  The thought of the love flowing out through those painstaking hours brought tears to my eyes then, and brings a lump to the throat even now.

And I treasure humble gifts, given from a loving heart.  My son, Matthew, and I took up golf when he was 12 and I in my early 40's.  AFter I shot under 50 for nine holes for the first time, this middle-school boy surprised me with a sleeve of golf balls purchased with his own money to celebrate the occasion.  That box and its contents sit as a trophy on my nightstand even now, not to memorialize my score that day, but as a treasured reminder of my son’s love for me, expressed in a simple gift.

As I thought about these “thanksgiving” occasions, it occurred to me that they all share one thing in common.  They all emanate from grace – undeserved favor.  Which I guess makes sense.  For what is thankfulness, but gratitude?  And what is gratitude, literally, but the soul’s overwhelming response to grace?

How different might this Thanksgiving be if, in addition to thinking of the blessings in our lives, we ask ourselves, “What favor have I received that I clearly did not deserve?”

[To see the daily reading in Luke 22:14-23, click here.]

The Story – Chapter 26 – The Hour of Darkness

Luke 22: 39-53

Matthew, Mark and John wrote of the same exact experience as this passage in Luke. Their words may vary, but the stories corroborate each other. Today’s reading in Luke revisits the time when Jesus and his disciples were at the Mount of Olives and Jesus instructed them to “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He then went a short distance away, fell to his knees, and prayed like no one else can. He was in agony, knowing  the night of his crucifixion was very near. He prayed fervently, dreading the cross but submitting himself to his heavenly Father’s higher purpose.

The Journey (Bible For Seeking God and Understanding Life) says something I must share regarding the heart of Jesus, and how we can take example from Him in one of His darkest moments. “We will face deep anguish in our life-everyone does. When that happens you can do what Jesus did; PRAY. Pray hard, pray deep, pray honestly, pray out all your feelings-not a formula. Pray until you sweat and cry and fall down in exhaustion. Pray with others. Pray alone. Pray as long as it takes, and then pray longer. Pray because nothing else works, and keep praying when it doesn’t seem to work. Pray because Jesus prayed, pray because you want to pray, pray because you don’t want to pray. Pray out loud, pray quietly. Pray whenever you think about it, pray instead of just thinking about it. Pray when you walk and when you drive and when you wake up and when you go to sleep. Pray before you forget. Pray right now.”

This 3 minute video is worth watching:

John Piper - Prayer Causes Things to Happen

 Read/Listen to Luke 22: 39-53