Stepping Up to The Plate

Ready

“He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. ‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’” Mark 14:35-36 NLT

Set

When I was nine, I experienced every baseball player’s worst nightmare. A ball smashed me in the face, and I had to have reconstructive surgery. The pain I experienced made me afraid to stand in the batter’s box for some time. I lost my courage.

We often find ourselves in the same predicament in our spiritual lives. We are afraid to step into the fullness of what God is calling us to do because of what might happen. We avoid pain at any cost, and the cost ends up being God’s dream for our lives.

In Mark 14:32-42, Jesus is faced with a decision. He could either step into the calling of God and die on the cross or remain on Earth and avoid what suffering might come. As a human, Jesus felt the pain and fear that came with this sacrifice. He even prayed that God would not make Him do it. Jesus knew He was in for a great deal of pain, but He held nothing back. He stepped up to the plate, let Himself be captured by the Romans and His own Jewish people and eventually gave His life so that we might be saved. But because of this courage, God exalted the name of Jesus above every other name and made a way for all of humanity to be saved. God didn’t waste a second of Jesus’ pain, and He won’t waste our pain either. 

Go

• What has God called you to do that you are afraid to step up to the plate for?
• How can you use the example of Jesus to be encouraged to overcome this obstacle?

Weekly Challenges:

Pray and ask God to remind you of one hard thing you are supposed to do. Plan it and do it.

Reading Plan: 

Day 43 - Romans 12-13

Day 44 - Romans 14-16

Day 45 - Mark 1-3

Day 46 - Mark 4-5

Day 47 - Mark 6-7

Day 48 - Mark 8-9

Day 49 - Mark 10-11