Luke 22:40

"And when He came to the place, He said to them 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.'" Luke 22:40


In this verse, I see the importance and power of prayer. Jesus, who knew each and every one of His disciples and their weaknesses, told them to pray that they may not enter into temptation. Jesus knew full well what would lie ahead, how temptations and trials awaited His disciples, how one would deny Him, not once, not twice, but three times. Because Jesus knew all these things would take place, what did Jesus tell His disciples to do? Pray.

The Bible tells us in James 1:13-14 that God cannot tempt anyone - "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire."  We as human beings are tempted every day, and yet not because God tempts us, but because we are sinners. Temptation, however, in and of itself is not a sin - it's what you choose to do with that temptation. With every temptation that I face, I have a choice. I can choose to give into that temptation and sin, or I can look to Jesus to deliver me from that temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 


This is such an encouraging passage to me, because not only does it comfort me in the fact that I'm not the only one who has temptations and struggles, but it also is a sweet promise to me that when I am tempted, God will always, always provide a way of escape. With every temptation I face, I am also given a promise, that if I look to Jesus He will provide a way of escape from that temptation. He will be my Escape.

Going back to Luke 22:40, I see that Jesus told His disciples to pray so that they would not enter into temptation. Prayer is such an important part of the Christian's walk with Jesus. As the girls here at Potter's Field have been learning, prayer moves the heart of God. I want to consistently be in prayer, not just halfheartedly praying, but really pouring my heart out to God.

Daily I am confronted by temptation, and daily I desire to take that temptation to the Lord in prayer, to let Him by my Escape, my Refuge, my Rock, my Deliverer. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I want to take all my weaknesses to the Lord in prayer, instead of beating myself up over my weaknesses and failures, I want to take them all to Jesus and allow Him to somehow use them for good. I love the lyrics, "Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer." May we daily take our weaknesses to the feet of Jesus in prayer, for it is then that we can find His strength.

Application: This week I will memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13 to remind me to always take it to the Lord in prayer when I am tempted.

Proverbs 3:17

"Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Proverbs 3:17

What does Solomon mean when he says that wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace?

Does this mean that everything will always be happy go lucky for the one who possesses wisdom? I don't believe this to be the case.

Instead, I believe that when one truly has wisdom, then he is not going to constantly be bringing trouble upon himself.

Of course, we all make foolish choices at times and nobody is perfect, but for the one who truly seeks to live by wisdom, then his life will be far more peaceful and pleasant because he won't be constantly paying the consequences of folly.

By living wisely we can limit the amount of pain we bring upon ourselves, yet it is an inevitable fact that life is hard and not always pleasant, even for the wisest person on earth.

Someone with great wisdom will have good days as well as bad days, will experience joy as well as sorrow, and will have laughter as well as tears. I believe that what Solomon is saying in this verse is this:

If you are truly seeking after wisdom and want to live a life that's pleasing unto the Lord, then you will have a peace and a joy beyond your circumstances.

I don't think Solomon is promising a life without pain, but instead joy and peace in the midst of the hard times.

Application: Today I will pray specifically that the Lord would help me walk in wisdom, and that He would give me joy and peace in the midst of my trials.

Proverbs 3:16

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.” Proverbs 3:16

Continuing on from verse 13, we know that “her” is referring to wisdom. In examining this passage closely, we have seen how precious and invaluable it really is to possess wisdom.

Now in verse 16 we see that long life are in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

Long life is in her right hand. When I first read these words, I immediately think it to mean that if I have wisdom, then I am going to live a long life on this earth, but, really, I don’t think that’s what Solomon is saying. I think that a better way to interpret this verse is not necessarily in quantity of days, but in quality. I know for a fact that sometimes those who possess great wisdom pass away from this life at an early age, and so I don’t think this verse is a promise of length of days on this earth No, instead I would look at it from the perspective that there will be abundant blessings in your life if you walk in the way of wisdom. Yes, you will still have your share of hardships and trials, but there will be blessings in the midst of it all.  I also think that another way to interpret this verse is to realize that, while we may not have length of days on this earth, if we are in Christ we will truly have a long life, maybe not on this earth, but in heaven. We will not only have a long life, but we will have everlasting life. What a glorious truth!

In her left hand are riches and honor. Again, this simply brings me back to the blessings that truly come when I make wisdom my friend. May I daily seek not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom of my Heavenly Father.

Application: Today I will pray that the Lord will help me grow in wisdom.

Proverbs 3:15

“She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 3:15

In the previous two verses we saw that wisdom is better than silver and gold, and now again we see how priceless wisdom really is. It’s as if King Solomon is really trying to drive this point home to us. 

Wisdom is more precious than jewels. When I think of jewels, I think of precious treasures. This is how we should view wisdom. We should think of wisdom (knowledge applied) as a priceless and precious treasure, worth so very much. If there is a priceless and precious treasure that I know about, I’m going to want to seek that treasure until I find it. I think of the song lyrics that go like this: “Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord to give up I’d be a fool, You are my all in all.” In Jesus is found all the wisdom I could ever have, and as I seek Him I believe I will gain more and more wisdom. Daily I need to wake up and really see Jesus as my precious jewel, the One that I want to seek with all that I am.

Application: Tonight I will memorize Psalm 27:8 to remind me to seek Jesus in all things. 

“You have said, ‘Seek My face.’ My heart says to You, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

Proverbs 3:13-14

 “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.” Proverbs 3:13-14

We see here that Solomon writes of the blessings of being a person of wisdom and understanding. I think that another way to say this verse is to substitute the word happy for blessed – “Happy is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.”  This makes me think, if the Bible tells me what to do in order to find happiness, wouldn’t it make sense for me to do it? As humans, we can get pulled into the lie that money will make us happy, and yet here it is very clear that having wisdom and understanding is even better than earthly riches. My favorite definition of wisdom is that it is knowledge applied. This is a perfect definition for me as I am here at Missions Training School gaining a wealth of knowledge. I am so thankful to be learning so much in such a short amount of time, and yet I have to remember that unless I am actively applying what I am learning, it’s not really doing me any good, I’m not being wise with what the Lord has entrusted to me. How I long to every day seek to make wisdom my friend, to really apply to my life the truths that I am learning, to really believe that in so doing I possess even greater treasures than silver or gold.

Application: Today I will commit Proverbs 3:13-14 to memory to help me remember to apply to my life the knowledge of what I am learning here in school.

1 Corinthians 13:4

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.” 1 Corinthians 13:4

Most people are very familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, because it is the “love chapter.” We may see this passage in picture frames hanging on walls, we may even have this passage memorized, but do we live by it? While 1 Corinthians 13 is a great passage to quote and know, as with all of God’s Word it does us no good unless we actually live by it.

In 1 Corinthians 12-14 the apostle Paul talks about different spiritual gifts, and we need to recognize that chapter 13 was written within this context. While spiritual gifts are useful and important, Paul is letting us know that, above all, love is the root of all those gifts.

Love is patient. Let us remember that God is love, and thus that means that God is patient. I am so thankful that for that fact, but I am also convicted as I remember that I am called to be like Him, and to love like He loves me. Am I patient, or as some versions say, am I long suffering? This is so against my sinful nature.  I looked this word up in the dictionary to better understand what it really means, and my favorite definition was this: “bearing or enduring pain, trouble, etc. without complaining or losing self-control.”  The words “without complaining” really stood out to me. Do I love others enough to put up with hardship and pain, and am I willing to not only put up with this, but to do it without complaining?

Love is kind. Am I kind towards others? I notice how this passage doesn’t say “Love is kind most of the time.” No, it says simply, “Love is kind.” It’s one thing to make yourself be nice to someone for a little bit, but this is not what Paul is talking about. He is saying that love is kind, love is tenderhearted, love is generous, love goes beyond self so that it might bless others. Do I have this kind of heart?

Love does not envy or boast. Again, this is a hard one. Am I willing to love others enough not to envy them, or not to boast to them? I find this interesting that envy and boast are found together here. It’s really easy to envy someone, and I think that when we start to envy others, that is when we start to boast. We become insecure in ourselves and what we have, and so we feel a need to brag to make us feel better about ourselves. I think of Galatians 6:14 – “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” My contentment should be so rooted in Christ that I don’t feel a need to envy others or boast to them, and, when I am content in Christ’s love for me, I am free to love others as a byproduct of His love for me.

Love is not arrogant. As fallen humans it is our natural tendency to be full of self-importance, and yet love says “You are more important than me.”

As I looked deeper into this verse, I find myself convicted and realize how hard it really is to have this kind of love, and yet it is not impossible. Yes, in our own ability it is impossible to love this selflessly, because human love is selfish, but Christ’s love is selfless and He can empower us to selflessly love. Our love for others is an overflow of His love for us.

Application: Today I will pray that the Lord would give me the grace to love those around me as I have been loved. I will specifically ask Him to remind me to not complain, but to be long suffering in my love for others. 

My Testimony

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

This is a testimony of God’s amazing grace in the life of a wretched sinner… me. I have been so blessed to grow up in a loving Christian home. I have wonderful parents who love me and show me that love all the time, and I have two wonderful brothers. I gave my life to Christ at an early age, and have grown up going to Calvary Chapel Southeast Portland.

My middle school years were very challenging for me. I am a perfectionist, and while that can be a strength, in my life it has also proven to be a weakness.

It was in my middle school years that I began to doubt my salvation, and because of that, fear was very much a part of my life. Then one night the Lord gave me a verse – Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” I began to read that verse over and over and every time I did that, I felt so much peace. The struggle wasn’t necessarily gone, but as I read and trusted God’s promise, I found rest.

My high school years were very blessed, but also very hard. I still struggled with my doubts as well as perfectionism. I began to struggle in my thought life and to become very weighed down with guilt because of it. I felt so ashamed of myself and felt like the Lord could never use me. Then one day I admitted to a friend how much I had been struggling and how guilty and terrible I felt inside about myself. I will never forget how she responded to me. I was totally expecting her to love me less and not want to be friends anymore, and yet instead she showed me so much love. I am so, so thankful for that, because in seeing her love for me, I was better able to see Jesus’ perfect, unconditional love for me. Even though this time in my life was so incredibly hard and painful, looking back I find myself so thankful for it, because the Lord needed to teach me a lesson. I needed to learn that it is not about me, it is about Him. It’s not about what I have done or haven’t done; it’s about what He has already done on the cross. It hurt so much to come face to face with the fact that I am such a wretched sinner, and yet I had to become face to face with that fact in order for me to see how precious and sweet the grace of God really is. There’s a song that really spoke to me during that time, and the chorus goes like this: “Your grace, still amazes me. Your love, is still a mystery. Each day, I fall on my knees, ‘cause Your grace still amazes me.”  I had to recognize that I am such a sinner, and once I did that, Jesus’ grace became so much more amazing and so much sweeter to me.

In the midst of all these struggles, the Lord gave me a heart for missions. As I reflect on it, I believe that the desire to be a missionary and these struggles went hand in hand. If I am to tell others how much they need God’s grace, I myself needed to see how desperate I am for that same grace.  

Today, I sit here at Potter’s Field Missions Training School, so thankful that the Lord chooses to use sinners. I am thankful that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. I still have my struggles, I still have my fears and my doubts, but daily I need to remind myself that His grace is sufficient and His love never fails, even when I do. Daily I need to remind myself of Isaiah 41:10 and trust in His promises, even when it’s hard and I don’t feel like it. Daily I need to come to the feet of Jesus, recognizing how imperfect I am, and yet how perfect His love for me is. I am so thankful that not only does He choose to use weak and broken people, He takes delights in doing so, in order that He might receive all the glory.