For Ones Friends

    I really love Sunday’s. It truly is my special time with the Lord. To rest. To recharge. To listen and learn. The past few years that Lord has told me to keep Sunday set apart for Him, a special time for just us to spend time together. Not just going to church though, that is only the beginning of my day! It can be spending time with friends, going for walks and taking pictures of flowers or just doing something I enjoy. I don’t run errands or do big chores or big things that would cause me to become distracted. I just rest in his presence, take it slow, put all the cares and concerns that may be threatening to pull me away and we are doing these things I can't always do during the week, together in peace.  

Today was another example of such a precious time with Jesus. It was Palm Sunday, which I totally slipped my mind until someone greeted joyously with a, "Happy Palm Sunday!" I received many more greetings just like it and honestly, it opened my heart for the message the pastor was about to give. I can't say the message he gave was the one God gave me during all this. I seem to always get more out of something than what was originally intended, but that's the beauty of the Holy Spirit. Always teaching, speaking and expanding your understanding of his word. I'll share what verses we went through today and what new insights I took away from it today!

Matthew 26:36-46 - Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

• Jesus prayed 3 times in the garden
• Peter denied him 3 times (later chapters)
• Jesus asked Peter 3 times if he loved him (redeeming him from when he denied him 3 times) 
• Father, Son, Holy Spirit = Trinity = 3
• Jesus felt just as overwhelmed as we do when we're overwhelmed. He was so overwhelmed with anguish, he was so distressed by the choice he was facing that he didn't want to be alone and asked his friends to stay with him and watch his back (Ecclesiastes 4:12) as he sought solace with His father.
• His friends couldn't even carry the burden for an hour.
• He chose to do it all for his friends so that they would not suffer for eternity as he was about to suffer for this short time in comparison (1 Peter 1:3-12)

    

Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of John 15:13

    Not two verses later in John 15:15 Jesus states we are no longer slaves but now he calls us friends. 

    If you ever wondered how much Jesus loved you sit down and read Matthew 26:36-46 and then read John 17:20. One of the most comforting things I discovered over the past few years was that Jesus prayed for me... In that day and that moment, he thought that much of me that he would already call me friend and sacrifice himself for someone who wouldn't even become a thought of being born for centuries to come. 

    I'll have to comeback and expound even more but it was just too beautiful a message in this little bit that it couldn't wait another minute! 

Jesus loves you friend!