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Topic: Discipleship (02/23/04)
TITLE: Can You Keep Watch? By Bobbye Terry 02/29/04 |
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"Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?"
CAN YOU KEEP WATCH?
When Jesus and the disciples went to Gethsemane, Jesus went off to pray and asked the men to keep watch for him because he knew he’d been betrayed and the evil ones would be approaching him. But they fell asleep, not once but three times. When Jesus came back the third time, he said “The hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
Can you keep watch without falling asleep? After all, it’s only an hour. How do you keep watch for God now?
If tomorrow your neighbor calls up and says, “I need help. I need you to drive with me to my mother’s home five hours away and see her. She’s ill.” Would you go, or would you decide you can’t leave home because you have movie tickets to tonight’s premiere? What if your pastor called and said a woman in the hospital needed cheering up and asked you to go? Okay so you’re really tired and it’s the end of the day. The weather’s not great, and you’d really like to take a nap before dinner. Would you make an excuse and stay home, or would you go? Would you keep watch?
You keep watch for God by following faith with your heart. That means you must be a good disciple and show others who you are, not who you appear to be, but who you really are. So if you are really following faith with your heart, you will demonstrate to others what God’s love is all about. When someone needs you, really needs you, step up to the plate and watch for God. After all, it’s only for one hour.
Dear God,
Please remind me that I have a responsibility to help my neighbor. I must serve you every day through my actions and be a good disciple. Don’t let me take the easy way out and make an excuse for not following through. I know I’ll feel better by helping, and I can make someone else feel better too.