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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 6, 2008 OWNED |
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Frontline Devotion for Wednesday, February 6, 2008 by Penny Risen
Matthew 4: 8-11
“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said,
"if you will bow down and worship me.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord
your God, and serve Him only.’
Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came and attended Him.”
Our observance of Lent --- the forty days prior to Easter --- runs parallel spiritually to Jesus’ penitent and reflective isolation in the desert. For forty days and nights, Jesus denied His earthly needs. He fasted day after day; He endured the heat from sun up; He shivered in the desert cold at sun down. No friendly voice encouraged Him; no caring human touch comforted Him. But Jesus had the Father and trusted Him.
As the devil taunted Him, Jesus sought God’s guidance and strength for His mission as our Savior. In Jesus’ final and firm retort to temptation in Matthew 4, He answered with a simple proclamation, one this young man from Nazareth learned from childhood: “I am owned by God and no other!”
As an observant Jew, Jesus studied the Torah as containing all the knowledge necessary for life on earth for all time. He heard Joseph, His family and friends in the village repeat daily the words spoken by Moses, God’s command in Deuteronomy 6:
“Hear, oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
This duty to our faith and our God remains the same. There is evil in the world, but we may think our 21st Century temptations and daily distractions are far different than they were in Jesus’ day. We probably have enough to eat, but who fills our spiritual hunger? We are sheltered from the heat and the cold, but who stands as our fortress and guide when sin and selfishness try to defeat us? We have I pods, TVs, computers, satellite dishes, cell phones, and Blackberries to communicate, but who inclines His ear to us when we whisper our prayers?
Today, when we receive a dark cross mark on our forehead for Ash Wednesday, we make a proclamation handed down and cherished for its power and mystery: ”I am owned by God and no other.” God owns our days. He knew us before we were born and knows when we will die. Like Jesus, we know God will claim us and take care of us on our 40-day journey. We can’t isolate ourselves as Jesus did in the desert, but we can take time during Lent reflect and ponder this awesome mystery --- We are not alone.
Prayer for the day: Dear Lord, let me listen and learn from Your Word and Jesus’ example. Please fill my heart during this Lenten journey with faithfulness and thanksgiving that I am Your child. Help me to reject temptation when I behave in any other manner than as Your blessed creation. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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