What is your greatest temptation?

During Holy Week, Jesus spends much of His time teaching in the temple. The crowds are listening, the religious leaders are opposing Him, and everything is moving toward the cross.

In the middle of all of this, Jesus turns His attention to something that may seem almost ordinary.

He tells His disciples to watch themselves.

At first, that might not sound all that significant, especially compared to everything else happening that week. But Jesus is addressing something very real—something that doesn’t happen all at once, but slowly over time.

It is easy for our hearts to become weighed down.

Not only by obvious sin, but by the ordinary pressures of life. Responsibilities, worries, distractions, and even good things can begin to crowd out what matters most. We don’t usually notice it happening.

We don’t have time to pray one day. We forget to read the Bible another. Soon, a week goes by—and then a month. There’s no clear moment when we decide to drift. It just happens little by little. From, there we tend to lower are guard against sin little by little.

That’s what Jesus is warning about.

He is not only preparing His disciples for what is about to happen in Jerusalem. He is preparing them for life after His death and resurrection. A life where they will need to remain watchful, not because they can control the future, but because they can so easily lose sight of Him.

This warning is not just for them.

It is for us.

We know how quickly our attention can shift. We know how easily our faith can become something we assume rather than something we actively receive from God’s Word.

And yet, Jesus does not simply say, “Watch yourselves,” and leave it there.

He tells them to pray.

To remain connected to God.

To stay near to Him.

Because the goal is not just awareness. The goal is to be ready—to stand before the Son of Man. And that raises an important question.

How can we be ready?

Not by trying harder to stay focused or by relying on our own discipline or awareness.

We are ready because of what Jesus is doing during this very week.

As He speaks these words, He is already on His way to the cross. He is going to carry sin, face judgment, and accomplish salvation. He is doing what we cannot do for ourselves.

• Through Him, we are forgiven.
• Through Him, we are made clean.
• Through Him, we are able to stand before God without fear.

So, to “watch ourselves” is not to live in anxiety or uncertainty. It is to remain in Christ—to continue receiving what He gives through His Word and sacraments and promises. We live a life of repentance and faith in His promised forgiveness and grace. Elsewhere in the Bible, it’s referred to as abiding in Jesus or walking in the Spirit.

As Holy Week continues, Jesus is drawing closer to the cross.

And through that cross, He is preparing you to stand before Him without fear, holy and righteous through Him.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

We confess how easily we become distracted and lose sight of You. Keep us watchful, not by our own strength, but by keeping us in Your Word and in the forgiveness of Jesus. Help us to remain near to Him and to trust in what He has done for us.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.