All gospel account talk of the preparation of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. They talk of Jesus’ anguish and struggle.

What we see is an identication of our drive for self preservation.

We see Jesus in His humanity explore the possibility to escape or for the Father to let pass by the extent of the suffering.

Self preservation leads us to pursue the easy route. To comfort. To riches. From what I personally surmise I see the drive for self preservation leads us into corruption. That is why Jesus fought it when He experienced it and won over it in His submission to the Father. In submitting to the Father in His Humanity He broke its power!!!

Jesus does not present us with a easy pathway. Jesus teaches us self denial. He teaches us trust and surrender. Once we learn these we break the power of self preservation which disqualifies us from eternal rewards.

Jesus tells us that to follow Him we must deny our selves
The right to
1. Self awareness
2. Self determination
3. Self preservation

Anything which has its focus on self cannot partake of the Kingdom.

Jesus struggled against it and gained grace enabling Him to walk the path He needed to walk.

We need to do the same. We must deny the need to place ourselves the Centre of attention. We need to forsake the need to determine our destiny.

Jesus submitted to the cross and He was exalted in every way. Ephesians 4 says that Jesus descended before He ascended. So as we learn that the Kingdom operates contrary to our principles we will unlock power and purpose .

Jesus said: he who wishes to preserve His life will lose it. He who loses it for My sake will find it.

Shalom