#JESUS2018 - Daily DevotionalsSample

STAYING AWAKE

Before Judas and the temple guards come to arrest Jesus at the Mount of Olives, Jesus wants to pray. He takes along his disciples. He walks a bit further with Peter, James and John and tells them to sit down and pray too.

Then something strange happens. When he returns the three disciples are asleep. This story repeats itself three times. Jesus asks them to remain awake and to pray three times. But they fall asleep three times. They do not even have a good reason for it. They simply fall asleep.

For me this story is encouraging in the sense that even Jesus’ closest friends fell asleep.

Sometimes we are also asleep. The question is: What does falling asleep look like in our lives? I want to give you some examples.

Maybe Jesus told you to begin with something or to stop doing something. But you fell asleep. Or maybe Jesus spoke to you some time ago about changing an area in your life. A professional change, a change in the area of your health or he challenged you to organize your resources differently. Maybe he encouraged you to reorganize your relationships or forgive somebody, or maybe he wants you to take a next step in your faith. But for whatever reason, you always fall asleep in the process. Perhaps there is not even a good reason for it. Today is the day that Jesus is telling you to wake up!

ACTION STEP:

In what area in your life have you simply fallen asleep? Wake up! Ask Jesus to show you in which area of your life you need to wake up and take the necessary next step with him.

Tom Gerber, ICF Biel