<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 14;32-34<div><br></div><div><b>32. &nbsp;And they went to a place which is called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.”</b></div><div><b>33. &nbsp;And he took with him, Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The God of heaven asked for fellowship.&nbsp;</div><div>He asked for the&nbsp;support and comfort which comes by the&nbsp;nearness and kind&nbsp;attention&nbsp;of dear friends. &nbsp;Friends &nbsp;whom He loved. &nbsp;He wanted His disciples to bear witness to this suffering of His, He wanted them to hear His prayer of submission.</div><div><br></div><div>Peter, James, and John remained awake, watching for only a short time, just long enough to see him fall to the ground, pleading with the Father for some other way. &nbsp;They heard Him pray, that the Father’s will be done, above His own will. &nbsp;Then they fell asleep.</div><div><br></div><div>Christ our Lord was already in agony, long before the scourging,&nbsp;the mocking, and the nails. &nbsp;The thought of enduring the eternal torments of Hell, suffering the violence of utter&nbsp;separation from the Father’s love, and being utterly&nbsp;forsaken, was crushing to Jesus. &nbsp;As He said, <i>“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” &nbsp;</i>Such agony, we cannot imagine. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The&nbsp;great falling away now began, the scattering of the sheep&nbsp;into selfish&nbsp;sleep. &nbsp;How awful, that according to our selfish sin-nature, our compassion is so pitifully weak, it is easily replaced by our own carnal&nbsp;desires for ease and rest. &nbsp;We truly are a wretched race.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, now by the grace of God, we can keep <i>“watch”, </i>the very power of God, the love of God, has been given into us, in order that we may be faithful. &nbsp;We can deny ourselves. &nbsp;Do we do it perfectly? &nbsp;Answer: Not yet, but the transformation has begun in those who are by faith in Christ. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Where we still fall short, where we still fail in unfaithfulness, Christ’s own sufficiency is reckoned&nbsp;to us.</div><div><br></div><div>Once again, we see the failings of men&nbsp;fail to stop God’s faithful love.</div><div><br></div><div>This is what we have&nbsp;been born anew into. &nbsp;Christ now indwelling us, the Father’s love is now at work in us, inspiring us to join with Jesus crying, “Abba! Father! Thy will be done.”</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant that we know, by the faith You have given into us, that we can&nbsp;deny ourselves, share in Hos sufferings,&nbsp;and keep watch, until the Day of our Lord’s return. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 14;32-34
32.  And they went to a place which is called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.”33.  And he took with him, Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.34.  And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch.”
The God of heaven asked for fellowship. He asked for the support and comfort which comes by the nearness and kind attention of dear friends.  Friends  whom He loved.  He wanted His disciples to bear witness to this suffering of His, He wanted them to hear His prayer of submission.
Peter, James, and John remained awake, watching for only a short time, just long enough to see him fall to the ground, pleading with the Father for some other way.  They heard Him pray, that the Father’s will be done, above His own will.  Then they fell asleep.
Christ our Lord was already in agony, long before the scourging, the mocking, and the nails.  The thought of enduring the eternal torments of Hell, suffering the violence of utter separation from the Father’s love, and being utterly forsaken, was crushing to Jesus.  As He said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.”  Such agony, we cannot imagine.  
The great falling away now began, the scattering of the sheep into selfish sleep.  How awful, that according to our selfish sin-nature, our compassion is so pitifully weak, it is easily replaced by our own carnal desires for ease and rest.  We truly are a wretched race.
Yet, now by the grace of God, we can keep “watch”, the very power of God, the love of God, has been given into us, in order that we may be faithful.  We can deny ourselves.  Do we do it perfectly?  Answer: Not yet, but the transformation has begun in those who are by faith in Christ.  
Where we still fall short, where we still fail in unfaithfulness, Christ’s own sufficiency is reckoned to us.
Once again, we see the failings of men fail to stop God’s faithful love.
This is what we have been born anew into.  Christ now indwelling us, the Father’s love is now at work in us, inspiring us to join with Jesus crying, “Abba! Father! Thy will be done.”
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant that we know, by the faith You have given into us, that we can deny ourselves, share in Hos sufferings, and keep watch, until the Day of our Lord’s return.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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