Monday Devotional: March 3, 2025

Bible Reading: Luke 4:1-13 (NRSVUE)

¹ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” ⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” ⁹ Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹¹ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” ¹³ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Holy Spirit leads Jesus from the moment of baptism ecstasy at the Jordan into the desert experience of solitude, hunger, and temptation. Jesus, the “Beloved,” is alone now; no food to refresh, no friends to encourage — only a famished human being encountering temptation at his weakest point. The Tempter is a vivid presence here in the desert. Where is God?

God is as near as Jesus’ own hunger, a fast that empties him of all distractions from his encounter with God. Jesus knows, in his hunger, what food he needs to nourish him; and it will not come from the seeds of manipulation that the Tempter tries to sow. What hunger will us this Lent?

God is as near as the scriptures that Jesus knows by heart; he has brought with him into the desert the faith tradition that formed him. Knowing, loving, and serving God is power, and it is not in the gift of the Tempter. Where will we look for empowerment this Lent?

God is as near as the wisdom Jesus makes room for through his desert prayer; God is power, presence, and source of life to be sought after in prayer, in ministry, in risk, in study — not a magician whose worth will be proved with the cheap trick the Tempter demands. Where will we seek wisdom this Lent?

The Spirit that led Jesus into the desert now leads him back into the world, where, nourished and empowered, he takes up his ministry of transformation. Day by day, Jesus will teach, heal, challenge, and reveal the presence and power of God in our midst.

Prayer

Desert-dwelling God, you challenge us to seek you where you are to be found: in our hungers, in our aloneness, in our hearts. Meet us and strengthen us to recognize and resist the Tempter in our lives that would keep us from knowing you, In Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Susan A. Blain, The Upper Room Disciplines 2013, page 67.

Bible Study

“Following Jesus” By Laura Wittman

Session Title: What is in your Storage Room?
Focal Passage: Matthew 6:19-24, Acts 2:42-47
Purpose Statement: To unlock the treasures of the Kingdom.

Questions:

• What do you treasure most? What do your treasures tell you about your relationship and devotion to God?
• Based on what you know about Jesus’ life and his teachings, what was most important to him? What did he value above everything else? How does that influence your priorities?
• To what degree are you tempted to focus on your treasures?
• Where is your treasure? Where are you investing your time and your resources?

Zoom Session

Monday, March 3, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

(For Zoom Link, send an email to [email protected])

In-Person Session

Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Conference Room, McGee Building.