The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 22:39-42, “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.
40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’
41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
42 saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’”

Have you ever taken inventory of what you do every day? It just might be an interesting and profitable venture. Do a mental trace of today’s activities. They won’t always be exactly the same, but the venture will show the “road” you take and some of the “pitfalls” that hindered you from what you wished to accomplish.

Our LORD Jesus had a custom: it was prayer. When and how often do you pray? And of what do your prayers consist? Are they always the same, or do they include recent information? Do they primarily include others, or are your prayers always only about yourself? [Don’t get irritated! The guy writing this is facing everything here just like you are!]

According to the Scripture passage above, Jesus had a favorite place for praying. It was on the Mount of Olives. That was not be the only place He prayed; but He demonstrated that it is important to have a favorite place, and to pray there often.

Jesus’ prayer affected His disciples. First, He instructed them to pray that they might not enter into temptation. That’s an important factor in our praying, too. Praying keeps us close to Him; and when we’re with Him, those things that
normally hinder us and lead us spiritually astray, truly fade away.

Jesus also withdrew from His disciples when He prayed. Prayers are private
communications with the LORD! Yes, there are times when we should pray aloud in the presence of others, but not always– not when we confessing sin and dealing with intimate aspects within our own lives.

Notice too that Jesus yields to the will of the Father: “Father, if You are willing…” Despite Jesus’ intimate affiliation with the Father, He was humble
in setting forth His request: “…if You are willing…,” He prayed. Was He not spiritually equal with the Father? Did He not in John 10:30 say, “I and My Father are One”? Was He not then and there praying in the Holy Spirit?

Someone once said, “Prayer changes things.” Another replied, “No, prayer changes the one praying.” Let me suggest that both are true. Yet, it’s not “quickie prayers,” like “Bless the food and us that eat it.” It’s the spiritual recognitation that our blessed and precious LORD Jesus Christ creates us as a receptical for His blessings. We are the “apple of His eye,” as He is of ours.
What a comforting, spiritual thought!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom