STRETCHING TO
ANSWER
Fourth of
fourteen devotions in Gethsemane series
1
Peter 2:9-17
1
Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to god, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
Can you stretch to remember “Pressed
to Stretch” devotion? Jesus prayed in
the garden of Gethsemane under pressure like the olives for which this garden is
named. Instead of extruding oil, Jesus
was pressed so hard that He sweated blood (Luke 22:44).
Under this extreme pressure, Jesus
stretched to obey the Father’s will.
That’s what that garden represents, and what this series intends.
Are you prepared to stretch?
Lent is a noun meaning a holy season
(forty days) beginning on Ash Wednesday, ending on Easter. (Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness). Lent is when Believers fast and repent before
God. Examining our hearts wearing sackcloth
and ashes (Isaiah 58:5), many people give up something they love during
Lent. This sacrifice reminds us of Jesus
TOTAL sacrifice for us.
Lent is also the past tense of the
verb to give. Lend is present tense. The giver lends something expecting the
borrower to either return it or repay some way. … Stay tuned, Believers.
Jesus gave Himself. He stretched to obey the Father. He gave Pilate only answers earthly people
could understand (John 18:28-39). He
gave His blood poured out when flogged.
He gave His body to be nailed to the cross. He gave up His spirit in death.
What does Jesus want from His
followers during the season of Lent?
Jesus calls His followers to follow
Him to the garden of Gethsemane.
Believers also stretch to obey God. Jesus calls us when we receive salvation
making Him our Lord. Ding dong. What does Jesus want? The opening Scripture calls Believers to be a
chosen people, a royal priesthood. …The first thing is stretching to answer Jesus’ call to sanctification. God intends that all Believers be set apart
from the world. His indwelling Spirit
enables us to turn away from evil ways.
Believers are to turn towards God Almighty for
comfort, direction and provision in every situation.
Take Home Nugget
The second call finds Believers stretching to answer Jesus’ call to service. This is a huge stretch because service to God
requires total surrender. Isaiah, Jesus
and Paul surrendered themselves totally to serve God. Their eager complete surrender is shown in
the lesson linked below.
If you’ve answered “Yes” to these
calls—then you’re ready—for stretching
to answer Jesus’ call to accountability. Jesus judges every thought, spoken word and
deed as either precious stones or worthless straw (1 Corinthians 3:12).
Stretch me to answer correctly, Lord!
Adapted from “How God Calls.” Dr. Charles Stanley.
March 3, 2015. In Touch magazine.
Georgia, USA.
J.D. Griffith
Most Recent eBook by J.D.
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