Monday, March 24, 2008

Do we really get it?

I have had the opportunity to return back to my roots of nursing this weekend. Instead of teaching nursing, I returned to the bedside, to be Jesus to the ill. It was such a blessing. But my mind is tired. I have chosen to do the night shift once a week or so to "keep up with my skills" and so as I have awaken to this day, I am feeling a bit numb. This 44 year old body isn't use to this schedule change.
What an emotionally and spiritually draining weekend this Easter was also. I wonder if we need to be reminded daily of what Christ physically went through in His journey to the cross. Would it help us to "get it"? Would if help us to be more faithful, more devoted, more obedient to Him? In my devotional today I was taken to Mark 14: 35: "He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed".
The Blackaby's wrote in today's reading from 'Experiencing God Day-By-Day' that some Christians are satisfied with only having a surface relationship with Christ. I thought about our Easter morning church service. There were so many there. Families had gather together in the house of God, many came through the doors that cannot seem to make it any other time then the holidays and my heart breaks for them. Do they not get it? Can they not feel God's tug at their heart that says "Hey-I am here for you, I want you to get to know me. Let me love you!".
These authors then went on to describes Christ sacred prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though His followers had gone into this garden with Him, they were indifferent to His needs. They did not comprehend the urgency of the hour and the fact that Christ needed them and their support. They didn't get it and they were close enough to Him to touch His flesh and sense His emotions. "At the greatest moment of intercession in human history", Blackaby writes, "there was no one willing to go with Jesus and watch with Him". Jesus ended up praying alone in His anguish. In reading this, the Spirit's voice asked my heart, would I have been any different? Am I any different today? Oh, how I would hope that I would have been right beside Jesus, lifting Him up to His father praying "Abba, Father... everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (verse 36).
Would I have been willing to go with Him? Isaiah 59:16 states: "He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him". Am I willing today to yield everything to Him? Am I willing to go deeper in my prayer life with Him? Am I willing to sacrifice sleep to spend time in His word so that I might love Him deeper? Am I willing to serve Him with a servants heart?
"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.."
Ephesian 6:7
God, grant me a servants heart that I may serve wholeheartedly. Help me to take You into every moment of my life, to experience the sacredness of You as the angels experienced you in that garden on that night you said Yes to God, "Your will be done".
Let us not forget what Christ went through for us. I am tired from being up all night, I can only imagine where Christ strength came from as He walked out of that garden. Let us not turn our thoughts away from the physical and emotional suffering He endured so that we might have eternal life. Let not a day go by in which you are not grateful for the blood that leads to our redemptive grace. Get it! Live for Him! What more can we do because of what He did for us?

In His Graces~Pamela

PS--Ladies, if you want to be a "yes" lady for your Lord, I encourage you to go to my friend Lelia's blog-"Write from the Heart" (http://leliachealey.blogspot.com/) for a blog Bible study she is starting tomorrow from the book "What Happens When Women Say Yes To God" by Lysa TerKeurst. It is a life changing book and you can get it easily at most Christain book stores, Proverbs 31 Ministries (http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/index.php) or amazon.com! Don't miss out!!

8 comments:

Amy said...

I was blog hopping and found your blog. What a great post. Experiencing God was a life changing Bible study for me.
So often times in my life, when I am struggling, it seems as if all my "friends" disappear. It hurts so much to feel left all alone during a time when I really could use a friend. So reading what you wrote about Jesus in the garden, I realize, even when I am "alone", I am in Good Company with Jesus. He knows my pain. Amen.

Susan said...

Wow, what a beautiful post...

Thanks so much for taking time to share this, it was so true!

We need to be reminded of ALL God went through for us.

Hope you get some rest, didn't know you were a nurse, how special.

Blessings to you♥

Yolanda said...

I will be back to read this, but am still on Maui, for another week. Go back for I added a picture from church yesterday morning! :0)

Love you and as I mentioned, you'll hear from me again, later today.

Yolanda said...

I, too, wonder if I would have been found sleeping, or not believing....if I would have been born 2,000 plus years ago. It breaks my heart to think I would have, and so I'm thankful that I have the opportunity now to point others towards MY FOREVER BEST FRIEND!

Amen?

Lovingly,
Yolanda

Laura said...

I love this post, friend! I know the difficulty of returning to a chosen field after a season of being away from it. Bless you for listening to God and keeping your little fingers in nursing! I know your patients are blessed by your presence. God will honor your faithfulness.
Thank you for stopping by my birthday post! I love growing older, it seems I grow closer to the Lord with each passing year.
I just wish my body was a strong as my spirit!
Luv,
Laura

Tonya said...

I agree, I think it would help our walk TREMENDOUSLY if we really thought about all CHRIST endured on a daily basis. I can't fathom how people can be "satisfied" with giving only one day out of the year to the LORD. Gosh, when I miss time with HIM it seems as though my world starts to fall apart. (I suppose that's the disciplining thing huh?)

THANKS for the encouragement to walk closer to our LORD...

Love you

Lelia Chealey said...

This was really beautiful. I loved the prayer at the end by the picture of Him leaning on the angel. How sweet.
I'll be praying for you as you work your 1 night a week. That is so tough on the body at any age. I did it for 2 years and worked days a few hours after getting off. I was a zombie in its finest form. :)
Look forward to reading your weekly insight on saying Yes to God.
Love,
Lelia

Jenny said...

What a great view on the question of the week!

It is quite an adjustment to work all night. I'm such an early bird I almost can't imagine it!

I can't wait to see and watch what God will do in all of our lives!
Jenny