Luke 22:42 Jesus prayed Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.
As I read this verse I was struck again by the humanity and struggles that Jesus went through for us. At this point he was nearing the end of His earthly ministry. He knew what lay ahead with his bloody and painful crucifixion. He felt the over-whelming burden of humanity’s sin weighing down on His shoulders. The spiritual, emotional and physical pain must have been unbearable. Understandably He asked God the Father to take this ‘cup’ of suffering away, asking if there were another way for humanity to be saved, that it would be taken. This cry for help reveals Jesus’ pain and suffering so vividly! Yet the amazing, incredible thing was, that despite His overwhelming struggles, He still submitted to His Father’s will. Despite Him wanting this burden to be taken from Him, He knew that the only way for us to be saved was to finish the task that He was sent to do. His love for us and complete obedience to His Father’s will was what drove Him on!
Let’s close our eyes and picture Jesus alone, praying to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, tears of pain and anguish flowing down His cheek. Jesus was innocent, yet He suffered because of our sin. He went through that agony to give us hope. He took the phenomenal burden of the affects and penalty of our sins on His shoulders, so that we could experience freedom from it. If Jesus didn’t complete His destined purpose by dieing on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and being raised on the third day to give us victory over death, that is all we would have to look forward to – death! What an act of love! How quick we are to forget how loving and gracious Jesus is. We get so caught up in living for ourselves, that we put Him aside as a side-dish or just ‘a part’ of our lives. How tragic!! Praise God that Jesus didn’t have the same attitude that we so often have. He completed the work He was sent to do, and as a result brought glory to His Father (John 17:4) and has offered us the only source of salvation (John 14:6) from an eternity of torment and separation from the love of God.
What drives you each day?
What do you live for?
Do you live to satisfy yourself, or do you live for God and His purposes for you?
Only the later will lead to eternal life. Despite His obvious struggles, Jesus had His purpose clear in His head. He knew what He had to do and He did it!
Let’s not waste our lives by living for ourselves, but be part of a bigger, eternal purpose in living for God. Let’s not put it off till tomorrow, for we don’t know what tomorrow holds. Only by giving up our lives for Jesus, will we find life (Mt 10:39). It’s not meant to be easy, but Jesus knows our struggles, so let’s take them to Him and rely on His strength to help us stride over the bumps of life, experiencing true peace, joy and satisfaction!
In Jesus we have the victory, purpose and goal to live for each day, so let’s live it!
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