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Scripture: Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Abridged: During the struggle Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Holy Spirit empoweried the Christ in Jesus to overcome the desires of his humanity. Meditation: No matter how hard we labor in our devotion and in our spiritual discipline, we will never experience the full peace and joy of God’s presence until we take the final step to serve God’s love with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul. We can see the perfect example of this devotion in Jesus as he struggles in the garden of Gethsemane. What we may not immediately comprehend in our reading of this Scripture passage is the presence of God’s grace that enables Jesus to move beyond every desire of his own flesh for the benefit of others. We see Jesus sweating blood. We hear Jesus asking for the cup to be removed from him. We remember Jesus chastising the sleepy disciples for not being able to stay awake with him. We can even imagine the anguish of Jesus in the damp coolness of the garden night. But to fully understand the significance of the struggle Jesus experienced in that place, we must perceive the Holy Spirit empowering the Christ in Jesus to overcome the human desires of his humanity. It was solely the presence of God’s grace that enabled Jesus to proclaim, "Not my will, but yours be done." Prayer: Faith the size of a mustard seed? Do we even come close? There are times when we think it may be so, and in that very moment we flatter ourself and fail once again to live only according to the will of God. In that moment we think of ourself as more than a slave and betray our desire to be a servant of the Living Christ. Amen Enter password: .