Author: Bob Mathews

What do you rely on?

Posted on by Bob Mathews

This is a question that popped into my head yesterday. With all the cold weather around the country, it should be no surprise that we got our share. The snow was nice to see and it was exciting for our young son to experience it for the first time. However, troubles come with snow most of the time. It is always a possibility that power may go out when the weather gets bad enough. Sure enough, we lost power sometime in the middle of the night. This is not something we haven’t dealt with before though. My wife and I have lost power before but this time seemed very different. It was the first time that we went without power with a baby in the house. It made me realize just how much we needed that electricity. If it was just us, we could have managed the cold. Our son has needs that only the electricity could supply. He doesn’t understand how to keep himself bundled up for warmth when the temperatures are freezing. Luckily, he will drink cold milk but it is definitely not his preference. All that to say, we rely on the ability to flip a switch and have power at our fingertips more than we ever realized.

It made me think though, do I rely on God and Jesus this much? Are they so important to our everyday lives that without them our days grow difficult or even unbearable? The truth is, we must rely on God and Jesus that much. Without them there would be nothing, no life, no you or me. “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). You can continue reading on from there and see God go on to create all aspects of life including people. If you look at John 1:1 and following you would see that Jesus was there at the beginning with God as the Word that helped to create all things and continues to hold all things together. Unfortunately, after we were created, like bad weather causing problems, sin was brought into the world by going against what God commanded. This continues today whenever we choose to go against God. Because of our sin we are separated from the one who we need the most. Luckily for us, this is not the end of the story.

Insert God’s love here. If we look further into the gospel of John, we get to the famous passage John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” This is not the only passage we should know, but it does give us an idea about why we need to rely on God and Jesus so much. God loves us enough to show us grace and mercy. Mercy because we deserve punishment that He is willing to forego. Grace because He is willing to also bless us with a gift that we don’t deserve and could never earn in spite of our sin. But the only way we could be blessed in either of these ways is because He was willing to allow His Son (Jesus) to die for our sins and it is our belief, trust, and obedience to Him that affords us the blessings of His sacrifice.

So, what do you rely on? Is it the amount of money in the bank? Is it the job that pays the money? Is it the car that gets you to the job? Is it your family that takes care of you? Is it the government that provides what you need? The truth, however sad it may seem to be, is that all of those thing like electricity could be gone. And they may never come back. Nothing on this earth will last forever or ultimately be reliable. God and His Son are the only truly reliable sources that you will ever find. They were here at the beginning and the will continue after the earth is no more. Don’t take them for granted like electricity. A day is coming when the light switch of life will no longer work. When that day comes it will be too late to start believing and relying on them. If you have a desire not to perish and have eternal life, than choose to rely on Jesus today. It is those that believe and follow Him that have blessings from God that are necessary for eternal life.

What was nailed to the cross with Jesus?

Posted on by Bob Mathews

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15 — NIV

The verse I want to focus on is verse 14, but I kept all 3 verses for context. Actually, for the full context, read the entire book of Colossians. It’s only 4 chapters, so it shouldn’t take more than 15-30 minutes.

having canceled the written code, with its regulations

I’d like to suggest it wasn’t the Old Law that “stood opposed to us”.

A reasonable person might read this and think, “How many ‘written codes‘ did God give?” Certainly the Old Law comes to mind. Any others? In fact, this is a popular interpretation of this passage — based on the NIV translation — but I’d like to suggest a different interpretation. (Are we under the Old Law then? No, but that doesn’t mean that’s what Paul was writing about in this verse.)

Here are the same 3 verses, from the New American Standard Version:

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Colossians 2:13-15 — NASV

having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees

Suddenly that doesn’t sound so much like the Old Law. In fact, I’d like to suggest it wasn’t the Old Law that “stood opposed to us”. In fact, the Law was perfect (Psalm 19:7). If it was the Law that was imperfect and that “stood opposed to us”, surely Jesus would have come to destroy the Law, but he didn’t (Matthew 5:17).

So what was “nailed to the cross” with Jesus (v. 14)? I believe context leads us to the interpretation that it was the fact that the Old Law could not save — that no one could keep it perfectly except the One Who was perfect already. You know the song — “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay.” That was “the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us” — not the Law itself, but our slavery to the debt of having to keep the Law perfectly in order to achieve righteousness. This segues perfectly into that last word Jesus spoke from the cross — tetelestai (commonly translated into 3 English words, “it is finished” ). This word literally means “the debt has been paid”.

So what did Jesus nail to the cross?

He nailed to the cross our certificate of debt. It was that certificate that said under the Old Law, we must keep the Law perfectly in order to be justified, but under the law of grace, we can be counted as righteous — we can be justified — by Jesus having paid the debt on our behalf. Hallelujah!

In Search of Wisdom

Posted on by Bob Mathews

There is something about the value and splendor precious metals that has always attracted the human eye. If we stop and think about it, much of America’s westward expansion was due to precious metals. Many pioneers came from the East in search of silver and gold.

In 1849, people heard about the gold in California and “rushed” to find some for themselves. This is the background for the name of the San Francisco 49ers, a National Football League team. In 1859, there was another “rush” into the Pike’s Peak district which later became Colorado. Gold had been discovered, and a mob of 50,000 prospectors were drawn to this territory like a magnet. They came from California, the Mississippi Valley, and the East. One last important gold find is worth noting. In 1874, gold was found in the Black Hills of the southwestern Dakota Territory.

It was the prospect of a better life that drew these people from place to place in the west. Gold and silver could make one wealthy. And for that reason, it was worth earnestly searching for. Many left their homes and exhausted their resources in search for gold and silver. The wisest of all men, Solomon, uses the search for precious metals and hidden treasures as a comparison to our quest for spiritual wisdom:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if seek her as  silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:1-5).

All throughout the Proverbs Solomon tries to aid in our search for true wisdom. Always pointing to God as the source of that truth, Solomon wants us to have the same passion to seek after the wisdom and knowledge of God as we would the things that hold monetary value to our lives. He even goes on to teach that all things under the sun are pointless without having God. God is the one that has given all things and all things will return to Him. After talking about the truths in life and what has worth and what doesn’t matter, Solomon gives one final conclusion that is the exactly what we all need if we truly are searching for wisdom.

He had this to say, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is; fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).

As a person what are you searching for?

Is it for money or fame? Do your search for knowledge and truth? Have you been wondering where to find the truth of God? God has made the truth readily available to you by having it written down. Are you willing to put in the effort of searching the scriptures as if searching for silver and gold?

The faith of Jesus

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Not faith in Jesus. The faith of Jesus.

Did Jesus have faith? Did He need faith? How does the Spirit describe faith?

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

That’s one of those types of statements that to me is like describing grace as “unmerited favor”. It sort of makes sense, but it’s hard to understand what that really means without seeing some examples.

First, let’s look at how faith is used in the New Testament…

There are two New Testament Greek words for faith — one a noun (pistis) and the other a verb (pisteuo). The verb form is generally translated believe.

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. (Matthew 9:22)

“The time has come,” [Jesus] said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

The word translated believe here is the verb form of faith (pisteuo) for which there is no English equivalent.

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”(John 6:29)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The word translated faithfulness here is the Greek pistis.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Everything Jesus did glorified the Father, and such action was living testimony of His own faith.

Several things are clear from these examples:

To have faith in someone means to put your confidence in him.

Faith is an action word, regardless of whether it’s used as a verb or a noun. In other words, there is no such thing as faith without action (James 2:14-26).

Jesus expected His followers to have faith.

In order to be pleasing to the Father, we must have faith.

Reading Hebrews 11:1 without context, one could easily draw the conclusion that Jesus did not have faith in the Father because he didn’t need faith in the Father.

“substance of things hoped for”. Jesus didn’t hope for eternal life with the Father, for “who hopes for what he already has?” (Romans 8:22-25)

“evidence of things not seen”. Jesus had already seen the Father. He didn’t need any further evidence.

Therefore, one might conclude Jesus didn’t need faith. Now I’d agree that Jesus didn’t need to hope for what he already had, and he didn’t need any evidence of God’s existence, but I also believe that drawing the conclusion from Hebrews 11:1 that Jesus had no faith is as faulty a conclusion as one could possibly draw. Jesus had confidence in His Father; He knew God would fulfill His promises — every one of them. Everything Jesus did glorified the Father, and such action was living testimony of His own faith.

Hebrews 11:1 is not intended to be a complete, final, last-word definition on faith. Like many sections of scripture, it is given to us, written in words that we can understand, to help guide our understanding of the concept of faith. Like the rest of scripture, it would also be a mistake to consider this verse in isolation. It only makes sense in the context of the whole scope of God’s revealed Word.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. If you’re so moved, write a comment below.

Lettuce Statements

Posted on by Bob Mathews

We all need a little lettuce in our spiritual vegetable gardens. Not literal lettuce but the kind we find in the Book of Hebrews. The writer offers us great motivation in the form of “let us.” Every time we hear that phrase our ears should perk up and listen, and we should obey the command.

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, no forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:19-25 (NASB)

Let us draw near to God. We can have sweet fellowship with the Father, having our hearts sprinkled with Christ’s blood and having been spiritually cleansed in the waters of baptism. Through Jesus, our mediator and high priest, we can confidently talk with our Creator and receive his blessings.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. We can be determined and convicted, resting on the promises of God. He is faithful and just. He is able to fulfill all the things he has spoken to us. The glory of heaven that God has promised his faithful children is the focal point of our faith.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on. We can have a great impact on the faith of others. We can urge them on. We can light the spark that may motivate other Christians to greater heights of service. Our motivation may make the difference between heaven and hell for the soul of another person.

Let us not give up meeting together. We can make a significant impact on others by our commitment to the assembly. It is one vehicle by which we draw near to God, express the hope we have, and spur one another on. It is also one indicator of our faithfulness to Christ. It should be a little piece (peace) of heaven on earth.

Why do we have the ability and confidence to draw near, hold fast, consider one another and meet together? This is where we have to switch from the veggies to the meat. It is all possible “by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19). Jesus gave his life to save your soul. He shed His blood on our behalves. What does that sacrifice mean to you? Is it everything or nothing?

When is a Christian forgiven?

Posted on by Bob Mathews

I’ve been a Christian for over 58 years. In that amount of time I’ve had several “Aha!” moments, which I like to call “hermeneutical epiphanies“. One passage that particularly sticks in my mind from years past is Psalm 32:1-2, as quoted by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans:

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” Romans 4:7

Now that actually sounds pretty good — “they whose transgressions are forgiven”. He’s just talking about all Christians then, right? Well yeah, sort of. But…

  1. That couldn’t have been whom David was thinking of when he originally wrote the verse. It could have been a prophecy about Christians, of course, but I don’t believe it was. The full context of Psalm 32 certainly wouldn’t lead one to that conclusion.
  2. That wasn’t the verse that caused me to really think about forgiveness anyway.

“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Romans 4:8

…for those who “walk in the light”, the blood of Jesus “purifies” us when we sin…

Nowwaitjustaminutehere. Are you telling me there are people (David and Paul both used the masculine noun, but the context here is clearly gender-neutral and includes both male and female) who, when they sin, are already cleansed?

Yes, that’s exactly what I believe it means.

Let’s take that thought to its logical conclusion. That means that whoever “the man” is Paul is writing about, when he sins, it’s immediately as if he never sinned — and that’s before the “Lord, please forgive me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Yes, that’s right.

But won’t that lead one to conclude that he doesn’t have to really be concerned about sinning — that since he’s immediately forgiven anyway, it doesn’t really matter? Yes, it certainly may lead one to conclude that, but that would be a very immature, very un-Christian attitude, wouldn’t it? (And a very incorrect conclusion, I might hasten to add.)

Let’s look at another Scripture that may help us further understand justification (which was Paul’s subject in Romans 4 anyway):

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

So for those who “walk in the light” (and it doesn’t take a great amount of study to understand what “in the light” means), the blood of Jesus “purifies” us when we sin? Right, but it’s important to notice what word John used here — purifies. Not purified. Not will purify. Purifies. Present tense — meaning that when we sin, that’s when Jesus’ blood purifies us. It’s immediate. Don’t take verse 7 of the chapter in isolation though. I encourage you to read the entire chapter of 1 John 1 for the full context. In that vein, please understand I’m not minimizing our confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness. Both of those are aligned with Scripture and are things someone in a right relationship with God will just naturally do.

So, back to the question that brought us here: “When is a Christian forgiven?” A Christian is forgiven at the moment that person sins. The work of Jesus on the cross has already seen to that. And that, my friend, is cause for rejoicing!

Taking Offense

Posted on by Bob Mathews

It seems many are searching today for an unoffensive religion. One that is all inclusive, non-confrontational, and non-judgmental. Jesus is recast into a mold of complete gentleness and acceptance. Preaching is simply “feel good,” designed to satisfy what people want to hear. Paul warned Timothy of this even back when the church wasn’t far from inception;

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

However, the Author of true Christianity was one who offended many people. Jesus offended the residents of his hometown Nazareth by his wisdom and miracles. “And they took offense at him” (Matt. 13:57). Jesus’ exposure of false religious traditions certainly did not please people. The disciples, apparently concerned about Jesus’ popularity, came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” (Matt. 15:12). And even Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question would have many calling Him insensitive or intolerant. He says, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matt. 15:13-14)

Again, in Luke 11 Jesus doesn’t hold back to save the feelings of the Pharisees (Read Luke 11:37-44). After Jesus had denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, an expert in the Law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also” (Luke 11:45). And when we continue reading we see that Jesus does not try to save their feelings either. Jesus, knowing the hearts of men, boldly accused the Jewish leaders of being “sons of hell,” “whitewashed tombs,” and a “brood of vipers” (Matt. 23:15, 27, 33).

Don’t mistake forgiveness for tolerance. Jesus is one who will forgive our sins and trespasses but He will not tolerate them.

The Christian life will not be void of confrontation and judgment calls. Being faithful to the Lord may bring you difficulty in the classroom, at work, at home, and maybe even in the church (see Matt. 10:17-39)! Instead of looking to win popularity contests or being people pleasers, let us set our sights on pleasing the Father. Because if there is any offense we should really concern ourselves with it should be that of offending our heavenly Father, the only one who can destroy both body and soul.

Don’t let tolerance for evil cast you away from what is truly good. Don’t let worrying about being offensive to some stop you from standing up to confess Christ. Christ is here for you not for sin.

Empty Religion or Vibrant Faith?

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Malachi 1:1-14

The prophet Malachi wrote at a time when the nation of Israel faced a major problem. The people of God had grown complacent in their worship, falling into the trappings of religion rather than walking in a genuine relationship with God.

Do you prefer leftovers or a fresh cooked meal? Fresh cooked would probably be everyone’s answer. Imagine being invited to dinner but instead of sitting down to a fresh meal, you are served a bunch of leftovers. What message would that send to you?

The fact is that the people of Israel are giving God their leftovers and people today fall into that same snare.

God desires a genuine relationship.

In a book that is primarily a heavy rebuke, God still shows reminds of his love for the people in verse 2. In verse 6, He even compares the relationship to that of father and child. God desires a relationship over religion. Our lives should be a response to God’s great love for us. When God has shown us such an amazing love, our response should be to love him back and honor him with our lives. If He is our loving Father, then we should respect him as his children. If he is a loving master, then we should serve him with genuineness and reverence, rather than simply going through religious motions.

God is uninterested in empty religious motions.

Think of a time in your life when you had to do something, but your heart wasn’t in it. How difficult was it to continue what you were doing? This is were the people were in life. They were giving God their leftovers, (crippled and maimed animals) rather than giving their best. God is a relational God who desires sincere, heartfelt worship from his people. Israel was going through all the motion of worship – the people were going to the temple, they were offering sacrifices, and they were praying, but their hearts weren’t in it. They were focusing more on the acts rather than on loving and worshipping God. As a result, their worship had become mediocre and their lives had become hypocritical. God told them that he doesn’t accept halfhearted worship and that he doesn’t answer prayers coming from a hypocritical life.

God is great and worthy of great worship.

God reminds Israel of his greatness. God is a great king who is famous in all of the nations. God is seeking to be honored and worshipped by all people. Israel, however, was dropping the ball. Rather than honoring God with the best sacrifices they could offer, the people were content giving God the baseline minimum and their sloppy leftovers. The people had professed faith in God and worshipped him with their words, but their actions did not sync up. As a result, God did not accept their worship.

FACT of the Gospel

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John present the one true gospel (see Gal. 1-6-9) from four different perspectives. Each writer has a particular audience in mind as he portrays the life of Jesus. Major themes within each account compose the acrostic “FACT.”

Fulfillment. It is believed that the Gospel of Matthew was sent primarily to Jewish Christians. Matthew uses the genealogy of Jesus to prove he is the fulfillment of prophesy the Messiah. Matthew includes the greatest number of quotations from the Old Testament in any New Testament book. Matthew also discusses divine intervention in the world of men and establishes Jesus’ sinless nature and position as master teacher. He does this to prove that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the fulfillment of the Old Testament because that is the goal of the book.

Action. It is believed that the Gospel of Mark was sent primarily to Gentile Christians, possibly in Rome. Mark’s account is the most concise as he portrays Jesus as a “man of action,” a powerful miracle worker. The episodes of Jesus’ life are woven together by the Greek word eutheos which is translated “straightway,” “immediately,” “at once,” and “without delay.” It is used 42 times throughout the short 16-chapter book.

Compassion. The Gospel of Luke was addressed to “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3), but it was certainly intended for a wider audience among the Gentiles. This book was the first of two volumes, the second being Acts. Luke demonstrates the compassion of Jesus for the disenfranchised of Jewish society: women, the poor, Samaritans, tax collectors, and sinners. Luke also helps comfort all those who read his writing of the gospel by providing a sense of assurance in the accuracy of the message. He lays out facts in an orderly fashion, but not merely just trying to present history. He presents historical facts that point to something greater/significant – the fact that God has entered into human history offering His Son as the payment for the sin of mankind. No greater compassion can be shown.

Truth. It is believed that the Gospel of John was written for Christians and non-Christians alike, possibly in Ephesus. John emphasizes the evidence or testimony for faith in Jesus. “Truth” is a key word, occurring over 50 times in the account. Jesus’ miracles are signs that testify to the truth: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (John 20:30-31 – “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”)

The FACT of the matter is that Jesus is the Fulfillment of everything that was told and promised, the perfect man of Action to carry out God’s will, Compassionate in a way that proved God’s love was shown for all mankind, and the Truth that we need to believe in and bear witness of in our own lives.

Prayer in the Life of our Savior

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Jesus demonstrated great dependence on the Father which helped him fulfill his mission on earth. Prayer gave him strength to teach and heal, aided him in difficult decisions, and sustained him through the dark hours of temptation. Great things often happened when Jesus prayed. After Jesus was immersed, he prayed. At that time “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased‘” (Luke 3:21, 22).

After the wilderness temptations, Jesus began to preach and teach. His message was accompanied by the casting out of demons and healing of all sicknesses. This ministry was surely draining for Jesus since people continually came to him with their physical and spiritual problems. After a healing episode, Jesus tried to get away: “At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them” (4:42). The Savior retreated for both physical rest and spiritual revitalization: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:16; see 9:10, 11).

Major decisions in the life of Christ were met with prayer. Jesus had already attracted a following of disciples. But it was time for him to designate leaders among them who would be his closest associates. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles” (6:12, 13).

Later, while he was praying with his disciples, Jesus asked them about his identity.  The disciples had heard Jesus teach and they had seen him perform miracles – but they had also heard his fervent prayers. “And He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered and said, ‘The Christ of God’” (9:20). After a few days, Jesus took the inner circle – Peter, James, and John – up on a mountain for the purpose of praying. Jesus was transformed before his sleepy disciples: “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning” (9:29).

After hearing the Savior pray one day, the disciples asked Jesus to instruct them (11:1). Jesus also told them a parable about a persistent widow to encourage their prayer life and endurance (18:1-8). He upheld the sanctity of the temple based on the premise that it was to be a “house of prayer” (19:46). Jesus called his disciples to greater heights of prayer: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (21:36).

It was also in the darkest of moments that Jesus fervently prayed. He prayed for Simon’s final outcome – that after he had fallen he would be restored to usefulness among the disciples (22:31, 32). Jesus prayed for himself – for the cup of suffering to be taken from him: “Father, if you are willing take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (22:42). In his submission, Jesus was strengthened by an angel and was empowered to endure the suffering of crucifixion. The Savior even prayed from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (23:34).

It’s not hard to look at the life of Jesus and see how important prayer is. It helps to connect you with the Father. It can bring strength and renewal. It can even be a way to convey your concerns or cares to God. Prayer will hopefully be as important to us as it is to Jesus. Hopefully we will have a continual practice of communication with our Lord each and every day.