Sunday, April 17, 2011

Forty Days of Lent - Day #35

This is the day that the Lord has made - I will rejoice and be glad in it.  The sun is shining after a long hard rain, it is a reminder of God's faithfulness.  We are headed to see my family today and we can't can't wait!  My first long trip (okay not really too long - 3 hours) in four months.

The scripture this morning comes from:


Luke 4:1-13 (New International Version, ©2011)


Luke 4

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.”
 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
   “‘He will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Jesus spent forty days in the desert and fasted the whole time.  At the end of his time there the bible says he was hungry - I would be starving!  At the point of his physical weakness - he is tempted by Satan.  Isn't that how it usually always works for us - when we are at our weakest that is when we are the most vulnerable.  But Jesus through scripture was able to overcome the temptations.  A powerful example to us as believers to know God's word so we will be ready to defend ourselves at our our point of greatest weakness.

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