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1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

 

Luther’s Small Catechism on the Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer:

Lead us not into temptation.

It is true that God tempts no one, but we ask in this prayer that God preserve and keep us, so that they devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins, and that, although we may be attacked by them, we may finally prevail and gain victory.

I marvel at the beauty of the incarnation of Christ. Anytime that pesky thought inches into my brain that God surely cannot love me, cannot understand my situation, or forgive me, I am reminded that Jesus indeed fully understands me. Jesus removed his divinity and took upon himself the mortality of man so He could fully understand what it means to be me. God, through Christ, understands me fully. Loss, pain, suffering and temptation are all things that God, through Christ, understands about or lives.

And in Christ, we find a guide of how we should face the trials and tribulations of our lives – the Word of God. Whether in the desert being tempted by the devil or hanging on a cross for the sins of humanity, Jesus reached for the one solid and unerring thing He had to cling to: Scripture. May you find peace, power, understanding, joy, and the love of God within Scripture so that you may rely on it as Christ showed us through his life and example.

Chad Ryberg

Cryberg@livinglord.org

 

Prayer Concern: Perseverance for those suffering