The Temptation of Jesus
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 9The 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. 10For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:1-13
On Sunday, the first worship service of Lent, we talked about Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. My focus was on how he faced temptation AND how his wilderness experiences should be a source of strength and hope for us. Having been through the wilderness...having been abandoned by friends...having been scourged and crucified, Jesus endured wilderness experiences that were worse than anything we face. He know what it means to suffer, and He knows what it means to survive AND triumph.
How have times of suffering in your
life affected your faith?
Have they made it stronger?
Have they caused you to question the
existence of God or the providence of God?
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3 comments:
I have most definitely been made stronger. Suprisingly my most recent tests have only pushed me into the arms of the Lord...the one who I know can never and will never leave me. I know He hears me, and I know that my prayers have been and are being answered. I know that every single day I have (even the really painful ones) is a gift from Him, and I'm so thankful.
Hindsight is always 20/20. In retrospect everything makes sense. Divine providence is everywhere. I can praise God because I can see his hand at work in my life and the world. I have such an interest in history for that reason- it's HIS STORY. God's hand is always active and I can find rest in that it is still active today.
I wanted to comment on Sunday's (2/17) sermon. My boyfriend and I were discussing about it and I thought it would be something to blog about. You said that God didn't destroy New Orleans because of its sinfulness. I agree with that and thought the people who suggested that were a little off their rocker. There are good Christian people in New Orleans, Katrina was a great tragedy, and it seems callous to say it was damaged because of sinful acts by some of its people. But, God has destroyed cities before for their sinful ways. Take Sodham and Gemorrah (sp?) or how about Jonah who was sent to warn about Ninevah's impending destruction (I can't remember if it was eventually destroyed or spared). Those are both O.T. examples. Are there any examples since Jesus dies to save us from our sins. Wouldn't God have already forgiven sinful cities with this sacrifice we are being made so aware of during this Lenten season. This would mean he didn't destroy N.O. for those reasons. That argument aside, why do we think God isn't capable of getting mad like he used to. Just because there was no Jonah around taken seriously who warned New Orleans ("Jonah"'s have already warned N.O. trying to get them to stop sinning and are just laughed at for being so fundamentalist)
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