Week 18, Day 4: The Flesh is Weak
Today’s Reading: Matthew 27:1-28:20
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus was very close to being taken to be crucified. In fact, He was in the garden of Gethsemane, where He is praying to God about the imminent events that would lead to His death. With Him were 3 of the apostles: Peter, James and John. Jesus separated Himself from these men, and prayed to God. Then He returned to find Peter, James and John sleeping. When He returned, He said to them, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
I think this reflects what often happens with us as Christians. We are willing in spirit, but we are weak in the flesh. We have a desire to serve God, but the flesh and its corruption overcomes us. We give in to the temptations that are brought about by being in the flesh: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
The only way that we are going to put these types of weaknesses away from us is to truly focus on that which is spiritual. We are told that we must “seek first the kingdom of God” if we are going to have the kind of spiritual life that we want and need (Matthew 6:33). Just like the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, we must “watch and pray.” We need to be watchful for those things that would be a temptation to us, those things that would trip us up and cause us to forsake the Lord or our service to Him. We need to pray, so that we maintain a good relationship with God, and remember our obligations to Him. If we cease to watch or cease to pray, then it will not be long before we lose our strength and will no longer be serving God.
Let us make sure that we keep our spirit strong, so that we remain faithful to God. The flesh will always have an element of weakness. Let us strive to grow our physical side, to bring it under the control of the spiritual so that we are God’s faithful servants!
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