Jesus our example continued...

As we continue this journey up the mountaintop to overcome addiction, let me remind you why we follow the footsteps of Jesus. He tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30). This is why we follow His way.

Lesson 3: He spent quality time with the Father

Jesus, the Son of God, beautifully modelled to us quality time with the Father. Throughout His time on earth, with all the temptations, expectations, and demands upon His time, He still prioritised time with the Father to pray (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12-13; Matt 14:13). If Jesus did that, surely, we should. If there was someone who was going to remind you of who you are; someone who loved you as you are but loved you so much they wanted better for you; someone who would give all they had for you; who so desperately wanted you to live in freedom and had the pathway to it, would you spend time with them? My guess is you would. This is why, when facing addiction, quality time with the Father is vital.

We have learnt three lessons as we've sat at Jesus' feet. As you climb up the mountain, never allow this truth to escape your heart. There is grace for you. I say that because it means there’s time for you to learn the ways of Jesus. It means you can spend a few weeks or even a few months learning to apply one of these lessons to your life without the guilt of feeling like you should have mastered all three. When one of these lessons has begun to be a way of life for you, you can move on to the next. Sometimes when we fall down it can feel like we have to start all over again. But remember, much like in a race, when you fall, it doesn't wipe away all the progress you've made so far, it just means you need to get back up and carry on from where you are. There is grace for you!

Response:

Maybe you've sensed the Spirit prompting you to work on something already. There is grace for you to begin that. And if not, choose one of Jesus’ ways to start applying to your life and share that with a friend who can help you overcome the mountain.

Tomorrow we will learn what living in freedom looks like and what to look out for as we continue moving forwards.