Stay alert...be in prayer

I just finished reading the gospel of Matthew in The Daily Message and I was especially moved by the three prayers of Jesus in Gethsemane (26:36-46) and the disciples that He had taken along that could not stay awake. Verse 41 in The Message was a special reminder to me:

“Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there is another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

I can sure relate to that. Temptations can be so subtle that I need to avoid that “old dog” syndrome, keeping alert on a moment by moment basis. We see all too frequently, examples of lives turned upside down due to the failure to keep alert to temptations that regularly cross our paths.

Tomorrow I plan to leave early in the morning for our Indiana lake house, and from there I will travel on to Chicago to meet grandson Jeremy who will be flying in from Israel. This has been a tremendous semester of learning for him and I am anxious to catch up with him in more detail than we could manage by his blog and email. Our Indiana grandchildren Gavin and Calli plan to go with me which will add to the enjoyment. Daughter Sue will be coming in also from Michigan so we will have a fairly good welcoming committee on hand for his arrival. Do pray that Jeremy’s connections and that his flights will work out as planned. Also for safety for him and the others that will travel by road.

I am thankful to the Lord for the health and strength that He continues to provide. It is always a blessing to be together with family members when we live so many miles from each other.

I am thankful for each one of you too that continue to hold me up in prayer and keep in contact with me. You are a blessing! My adjustments would be much more difficult without you.

Love to you all,

Chuck