It is hard to imagine the agony Jesus went through on his path to the cross. Through His struggle in the garden of Gethsemane we see what we might call putting under the flesh. He said yes to God’s will and said no to the flesh. We all would rather take an easy path. It is the path of least resistance that we all prefer. Discipline, self control, and patience are all part of walking the path God has for us. The path Jesus took wasn’t easy at all. His flesh wanted another easier option. I think we have all been there on a much smaller scale. We may want to do one thing, when we know that something else is the plan of God for us. Jesus wanted to redeem the world, He just wanted to make sure that this really was the only way to do it. When He said, “not my will, but Yours be done,” he was saying, I won’t choose the selfish path. I choose the path of righteousness. He said yes! That can be our response as well, when we are faced with decisions. Often our decisions to follow God really are just an act of self denial. To think that Jesus was willing to sacrifice it all demonstrates the kind of love that He had. “Amazing Love, how can it be, that my king would die for me.” So our encouragement today is that whatever decisions we need to make to have intimacy with Jesus Christ is well worth the effort. Say yes to God’s plan for your life. Take time today to meditate on His word, to look introspectively, and then to celebrate all that He has done for you so that we can have complete communion with Him. On Jesus’ hardest days, he still chose to say yes to God. We can stay the path too!