WORD From The Woods


Colossians 4:2-18  
    "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you."


     This passage is Paul's final instructions and greetings in his letter to the Colossians. One of the last and most important things he tells them to do is to continue steadfastly in prayer. First, he tells them to pray with thanksgiving, which is probably how we should always begin when we approach the Creator in prayer. The next thing he says is to pray that God would open doors for them to share the good news of Christ with the lost and hurting world. I think it's very important to recognize that Paul tells his readers to pray for wisdom and a Christ-like spirit when dealing with outsiders. Many people haven't read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, and their first encounter with the gospel might be through the testimony of our lives, lived out in front of them. What I mean by this is that people will see the gospel lived out in the lives of true believers, after all, the bible calls us the ambassadors of Christ. This means that we have a tremendous responsibility as Christians to represent Christ with excellence! This is why Paul makes a point to charge us with seeking God's wisdom in how we deal with the world.  As Paul closes this letter, I'm amazed at the number of people that he lists who are true disciples of Christ that he can fully trust to carry on his ministry in his absence. This is what is so lacking in today's "church culture," we are usually pretty good at sharing the gospel with people when it's convenient for us, but we seldom engage in true first century discipleship. Paul had led many people to Christ during his ministry, but it didn't stop there! He was making disciples, not disciples of Paul, but true disciples of Christ! We need so desperately to get back to this biblical model of discipleship. It's my hope and prayer that Fellowship of Christian Loggers will serve as a ministry where both evangelism and discipleship are actively happening among men and women in the timber industry! 


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

​WORD From The Woods


Psalms 113
“Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the LORD is to be praised!
The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!”


    As loggers, we get the opportunity to see some of the most glorious scenery! I captured the attached photo on Friday as I was processing logs up high on a mountain top near Days Creek, Oregon. The valleys below were all covered in a thick layer of fog as the early morning started to break into the darkness with a host of brilliant colors. I could still see the planet Venus shining bright, high in the southeastern sky. I’ve probably seen thousands of those kind of sunrises, and they still take my breath away, leaving me in awe of the creative power and glory of our Lord God, the creator of Heaven and Earth. It was another living testimony to His greatness and power over everything. The words of this psalm of praise came to my mind as another new day sprung forth in worship to the Lord. But, this psalm points us to something far greater, and more glorious than such a brilliant sunrise. When the psalmist wrote that the Lord raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, he’s pointing us to the most glorious thing in the history of the universe, which is, the gospel! The awesome reality is that Christ came to die on the cross as a ransom for His lost sheep! The fact that He redeemed us, rebel sinners, is the most unimaginably spectacular thing that has ever happened! It’s so incredible, that the created world around us even praises and worships Him for it! So, when you see the glory of God revealed to us in things like an amazing sunrise, I hope you’re reminded that it’s just a small glimpse of the greatest of God’s accomplishments. The victory of our Lord and Savior that He accomplished by conquering sin and death when he died in our place on the cross, was buried, and broke death’s curse as He rose again on the third day! That is something that should drive us to praise the great name of the Lord our God and hit our knees in worship before Him! And if you have never placed your trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, and confessed Him as Lord, my friend, please do so right now. 


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Colossians 2:1-15
  "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."


    In this passage, Paul charges the Colossian church to stand firm in their faith in Christ Jesus. He warns them not to be deluded by false teaching, even though it may sound plausible. This was a huge problem in Paul's day and it's still a huge problem in our day. We should examine all things very closely and test them by the word of God, so that we aren't taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to the world. As believers, we have indeed been filled in Christ, and we are called to walk according to His ways, not according to the world’s ways! We aren't just left alone to try and do our best. When we became followers of Christ, we were buried with Him in baptism, and raised with Him through faith by the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead! Now, we haven't yet been physically raised from the dead, but we have indeed been raised spiritually. We haven't been left alone, we have been indwellt and sealed by the Holy Spirit, who is our helper and our guide in this lost and dark world. As followers of Christ we are no longer bound in sin by the record of debt that once stood against us with its legal demands! That debt was nailed to the cross with Christ, and when He walked out of the grave on the third day, He left that debt to be forgotten forever for those who place their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation! Stand firm in the faith and keep your eyes fixed on our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, so that you aren't deluded or taken captive by the schemes of the enemy!  As you go through this week, I pray that this passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church encourages and strengthens your soul.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Romans 1:1-17
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." 


 The book of Romans was a letter, written by the apostle Paul to a group of Christ-followers in Rome, probably in the late ’50s AD. I always love the way Paul opens his letters! He had so much love for the people he wrote to, and his desire to proclaim the truth and glory of God to them is so clear in the way he wrote. This is so apparent in these first few words of Romans. The whole reason we started Fellowship of Christian Loggers, was to reach out to those around us in the timber industry with the truth found in God’s Word and to equip others to do the same. The heart that Paul demonstrates toward the Romans in this passage is exactly the heart I have for those of you who receive these weekly devotionals. I pray before I write them, that God will bless them and carry them through the digital world to the hearts He wants to receive them. I pray for all of the readers, even though I haven’t met you all, I pray that God will prepare your heart to receive His truth and that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and be empowered for service to The Lord God. I pray that as God teaches me through His Word, that I will be a conduit for His grace and Truth through these devotionals. Friends, we have an awesome mission field in the timber industry, all around us, every day! I challenge you to ask God to give you the same kind of heart that He gave Paul, to reach the world around you with the message of grace and truth about salvation found only in Christ Jesus! All of it, for His glory and our good! If there is anything we can do to help equip you or that we can pray about to help you in this mission, just let me know.


God Bless! Be bold brothers, and sisters, and have a great week! -Terry-


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WORD From The Woods


Psalm 139:1-17
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
 Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!”


    We can get so caught up in the crazy business of life, especially in the timber industry. We all work to hard and try to do more in a day than we have time to do. It’s so easy to forget that God is in control and start to think that maybe we are the ones who are in charge. It’s easy to do. The Get-R-Done attitude is how we operate most of the time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. God doesn’t want us to be a bunch of slackers. He wants us to be the kind of people who will get up in the morning, and show some initiative to go out and get something done. This isn’t usually a problem for loggers! Our problem is that we think we are the ones in charge and we tend to leave God in the dust of our foolishness and pride.  I love the words of King David in Psalm 139. He makes it so clear to us that God knows our every thought and every move. Even before a word is on our lips, He knows it. That should be a sobering thought when we say some of the things we do at times! David tells us that we can’t go anywhere apart from God, He is always there. This is the God that knit us together in our mother’s womb. This is the God who knew every day of our life, thousands, even millions of years before the earth was even formed by His hand! And we think that we are the ones in control….. How foolish could we be? How arrogant could we be? God has a plan for each one of us. He has a specific calling on our life, and it’s a good plan, an awesome plan! Far greater than anything we can come up with. I’m not saying that God wants all of us to drop what we’re doing and go into “full time” ministry. Most of the time God calls us to serve Him right where we’re at, and for most of us reading this, that’s in the woods. I hope and pray that the words of King David will remind you how great our God really is and that He is intimately familiar with every thought and step you take. In the middle of all the craziness, remember that God is right there with you. Let Him lead and guide your way. 


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-  
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WORD From The Woods


James 2:14-26
    What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.


     This is a pretty familiar passage to a lot of professing Christians, but many times it isn’t looked at in it’s complete context. Most likely, you've heard the phrase "faith without works is dead" or "even the demons believe and shudder.” Faith by itself is really just empty faith, and simply believing in your mind that God exists doesn't save anyone. The demons know for a fact that God exists, they once dwelt in His presence before they were cast down with Satan in rebellion. Christians like to quote these phrases but seldom like to apply this passage to their own life. Some people take this passage completely out of context and teach that we are saved by doing good works.  When James is speaking of being "justified by works," he is talking about our faith being proven by works. Our salvation is accomplished by Christ’s work of redemption on the cross alone, "not by works, lest any man should boast." James is telling us that if there is no evidence of good works in our life, then our faith is dead. He's pretty blunt about it, but this is something that we all need to take seriously. We do a lot of commercial thinning.  My main objective in a thinning is selecting the healthiest trees as leave trees and removing the suppressed and dead trees. When I see a dead tree in a stand, it's clearly dead. A dead tree can have all the faith in the world but it's still dead. I know that a tree is alive when I see green limbs and active growth. In the same way,  a genuine, actively growing faith is proven by good works. As you go out this week, I hope that this passage from James will challenge you to take a real honest look at your heart. Ask God to reveal the areas where your faith may be suppressed or even dead. Unlike a dead tree that can only stay dead, God can bring even the most dead hearts back to life! We have to decide if we're going to just say we're Christians or if we're really going to follow Christ!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

​WORD From The Woods
1 Timothy 3:14-16
“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.”


    In this short passage, Paul seems to take a brief pause from his letter to Timothy to give another introduction, and remind the young pastor Timothy what the purpose of this letter was all about. The wording used here to refer to the household, or church of the living God, really has the idea of family behind it. This letter is all about how we are to behave within the church family of the living God. If we are true followers of Christ, then we are members of His family and Paul calls us a pillar and buttress of truth! This passage is right in the middle of some very clear and bold instructions for Christian living, The thing I love about this letter is that it’s clear and concise! As loggers, we can appreciate that! Most of us tend to like things that way and that’s one of the reasons we’re in the line of work we are. This little passage sums up the entire letter, and the last 6 lines are written in the form of a hymn that briefly explains the whole ministry of Jesus Christ.
“He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.”
That pretty much says it all! Jesus came to live among us, gave us an example to follow, died in our place, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven where He is reigning now as the sovereign King and Lord of the universe. If we place our faith in Him for the forgiveness of sins and trust Him with our heart we are brought into this family of the living God where we find redemption and everlasting life! If this is all we knew about Jesus and the Bible, it would be enough. As you go out this week remember the truth of the gospel and  share it with the world around you! We are a pillar and buttress of truth, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Romans 12
    “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”


This passage is very straight forward and to the point. There really isn’t much to say about it, we just need to read it and do what Paul, the inspired apostle says to do! This particular chapter has been used in so many different sermons, teachings and devotionals over the last 2000 years. We should know every word by memory, it’s a great prescription for how a Christ-follower should live the Christian life. As Christians, the way we live our life is a representation of Christ to the rest of the world, and our life reads like a book. And  people will read it, they’re watching every thing you do. When people read it, what will the testimony of your life say to them? The whole point of this ministry and these weekly devotionals is to encourage and equip you to be a living witness to the men and women around you in the timber industry. Paul’s words in this passage couldn’t be more critically important to this mission. We are called to be living sacrifices and living testimonies for the creator and His plan to redeem sinful humanity! Our industry tends to be a bit rough in the way loggers conduct themselves. We can easily fall into those things. Rather than becoming conformed to the way those around are acting and speaking, let’s purpose to be change agents who are know by the principals that Paul lays out in Romans 12! Read this passage until it’s written in the pages of your heart. Three words that help me to remember it are Grace, Honor and Love. When you face a situation where your sinful pride is about to well up, remember those three words!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Ephesians 4:1-16
   "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."


   In verse 1, Paul talks about walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.  We haven't just been called to get saved and avoid the torment of an eternity spent in hell, we have been called to also serve Christ and if we are to serve Christ then we must do it in a way that is worthy of this calling. We can't just strive to live in a worthy way for the sake of living a "good" life, that would just be empty moralism. If we are going to live in a manner worthy of God's calling, then our life must first be built upon the foundation of Christ through the gospel of salvation! In the first part of this passage, Paul list some characteristics that we as believers should exemplify as we mature in our spiritual lives, such as humility, gentleness, patience and so on. Paul puts a huge emphasis on unity among the believers within the body. We weren't called to be Lone Ranger Christians, but we were called into a community of believers to grow and fellowship and serve together, with our eyes fixed in the one who unites us, Christ  Jesus! In verse 9, Paul tells us that we not only have a savior in Christ, but that we also have an example. Christ descended from His place of glory to this earth, He lived and walked among the people of this earth and experienced all the trials and temptations that we do. He lived a perfect example for us to follow and while doing this, He set up the church through the apostles and teachers and evangelists and many other positions. After Christ established his earthly ministry, He solved the problem of sin on the cross and broke the power of death by leaving the grave on the third day! We as believers today are still called to be a part of the ministry that Christ himself established during His time on earth. We are called to be unified in Christ with the rest of the church, the body of Christ. We are called to grow together and serve together until the time of Christ's return when all things will be made new and all things will be set right!


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-


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WORD from the woods


Matthew 26:36-50
     “Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.”




     This passage has always fascinated me because we see Jesus, the all powerful, all knowing creator of the universe praying to the Father, that He would remove the cup of betrayal, torture and death that was coming to him. Jesus knew exactly what was about to take place, yet he still went to the Father in prayer about it. We rarely, if ever go to our heavenly Father in prayer about things that we already know, or think we know the outcome of. We tend to go to The Lord in prayer only when we're desperate and have no idea what to do. If Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, went to the Father in prayer about something he already knew, how much more should we as weak finite humans go to our Father in heaven about all things? This passage underscores the weakness of mankind and our desperate need to literally wake up and pray! Jesus had been telling his disciples for some time that he would be delivered over to be executed, but they still didn't get it. They couldn't even stay awake for one hour and pray with their Messiah about what was about to take place. It's easy to look at this passage and say how could those pathetic disciples fall asleep so quickly? How many times have you and I fallen asleep or let our mind drift to another place when we're praying or reading the word? I think that one of the reasons this passage was included in three of the gospels is to show us that in our own weakness, we're normal, not to make an excuse but to show us that even Christ's inner circle still struggled with the same things we do.  Another person that I'd like to look at is Judas, we like to point our long self-righteous fingers at Judas in condemnation. Judas was part of Jesus' inner circle as well as the rest of the twelve, in fact, he was probably the most trusted by the other disciples since he was entrusted with the group’s finances. Jesus certainly loved Judas very much, it must have been so painful for him to watch his close friend fall to temptation and betray him for financial gain. I'm sure that as Jesus prayed and wept desperately to the Father in the garden that night, he was lifting his friend Judas up in prayer as well. As you go out this week, I hope that this passage will remind and encourage you to take everything to the Lord in prayer, even those things that you already think you understand. If there are situations where people have hurt and betrayed you, lift them up in prayer, not in a self-righteous way, hoping that God will show them how wrong they were, but that God would restore the relationship and that he would be glorified in the process.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-