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A Boat with No Oars
Collage by Beth A. Richardson It has been a year since our lives were upended by Read More
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Wendy M. Wright | Read Matthew 4:1-11
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Sign Up TodayThe account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness has been proclaimed on the first Sunday of Lent in Christian communities worldwide from as early as the fourth century. It impresses on us the enduring dynamics of the reorientation central to the season. Matthew’s narrative highlights the ways Satan tempts Jesus...
Reflect on this passage in light of your circumstances: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . [A]s for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15, niv).
In this first week of Lent, we prepare our hearts for a period of reflection. We think about areas of our lives in which we might be falling short of God’s desires. The problem of sin enters the human story at the very beginning, for Adam and Eve choose to follow their own wisdom rather than guidance from God. The psalmist highlights the importance of recognizing our sin and asking for forgiveness, which God is quick to give. In Romans, Paul argues that we all partake in the broken human condition because we all have sinned as Adam did. The story of Jesus in the desert admonishes us to be on guard against the deception of our fleshly desires and our pride.
Read Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. How might this story help you turn from superbia to humilitas throughout your Lenten journey?
Read Psalm 32. What seeming dichotomies comprise the full picture of your life of faith?
Read Romans 5:12-19. How do you sense the differences Paul draws between Adam and Christ prompting you to turn toward God?
Read Matthew 4:1-11. What are your own temptations? How does Jesus’ response to his temptations guide you in responding to yours?
Respond by posting a prayer.
Seeing young people, both men and women, participate in and write their testimonies at The Upper Room daily devotional writers’ workshop in Yangon, 2019, has been a highlight for me. The event and testimonies led to the publication of the first Lenten devotional in the Myanmar language. I truly believe that through The Upper Room ministry, the Lord will continue to equip people in Myanmar to grow and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
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