[39] Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. [40] On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." [41] He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, [42] "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." [43] An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. [44] And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
[45] When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. [46] "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
Jesus did not have to endure the cross. He had a choice, you know. He could have saved himself, proving his power to those soldiers who mocked him. And yet, he chose to be obedient to the Father, even unto death. He did it for you and me.
In the same way, you and I have a choice. A choice as to how we are going to live our lives and whether or not we are going to follow Christ and his example.
And did you notice how he was able to do it...how he was able to endure the temptation to give in, to throw in the towel, to quit...to take matters into his own hands, disobeying the Father? He spent endless amounts of time in prayer, hours upon hours away from the world, in constant communication with God himself.
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." {1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}
Have each family member write down one area of their life that needs more discipline. Something that God is calling them to change or give-up or improve. An area that they need to give over to God or better honor him through. Then simply pray for one another to implement self-control in that area, claiming God's promise that we are "more than conquerors." Be sure to leave a comment to let us know how it went.
Did you do the faithfulness challenge from last week?
Don't forget to hang your {Self-Control} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on self-control in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.
Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we wrap-up our discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit! :)
 About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e. |
Amen to this post. Thanks again for sharing :)
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