if you are
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 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. (Luke 4:1-13, NRSV)
Is Satan really asking Jesus if he is the son of God? Does Satan not know?
No Satan is not questioning Jesus’ identity. He knows full and well that this is God. And he knows that Jesus’ hunger can be dealt with easily as He can change stones to bread.
And when Jesus will not bow to Satan’s pleas or offers, Satan quotes scripture to Jesus to show Him it is ok for Him to give in. Tricky isn’t he?
You see the devil does not question God’s identity but do we?
Are our hearts in tune with Jesus identity to know when He is leading us? Do we question His identity?
What are we willing to give up to follow after Him? What is keeping us from knowing His identity?
Sin
before me
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:1-17, NRSV)
I know my sin better than anyone. The things I have done that are wrong, hurtful, because it builds me up, tears someone else down. I also know the things I didn’t do that I should have or could have. My sin is ever before me. And if I was God I would hold all of that against me.
But thankfully God is more forgiving of us than we are of ourselves sometimes!
God is gracious. He gives us mercy.
As the author of this psalm knows, God will create in us a clean heart, a heart worthy of His presence. He will not take His spirit from us, or leave us alone.
Even in the mire, and all we know that we have committed. God will not leave us.
Give Him your heart and let Him reside in you!
Return
come home
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near—a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. (Joel 2:1-2, 12-18, NRSV)
Return to the Lord your God.
If you are wandering away from home, there is always a place for you.
For God is gracious and merciful…
God is forgiving and full of mercy. He accepts us as we are where we are. He wants us to be under His care and to take shelter under His wing.
Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…
His love will never change and will continue to grow for you. Rest in the unending love of God and come home.
Opress
for who?
Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me: Say to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink only for yourselves? Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, along with the towns around it, and when the Negeb and the Shephelah were inhabited? The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. (Zechariah 7:4-10, NRSV)
When you fasted who did you do that for?
Was it for me or for you to get noticed?
And when you eat why do you do it?
Why do we do the things we do? Is it because we want attention? Do we draw attention to ourselves or do we do things so others will see God?
So for who do you do things? Is it for you, or for God?
Covered
Walk Dusty
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, NRSV)
Welcome to Lent!
I love the image that was sent out by Old Lutheran to promote the Ash Wednesday items they have available.
It made me think about the passage we read every year on Ash Wednesday and how we really are walking dusty every day.
You see on Ash Wednesday we remember that we are dust. We recall Genesis 3:19 “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” And even though we have been claimed by Christ and washed clean we still dirty ourselves up. Like the kids who get prettied up for worship or whatever gathering and while mom and dad go to finish their own preparations sneak out and get all dirty, we do that. We are cleaned by Christ, but then we get dirty.
So as saint and sinner we walk dusty. Cleaned by Christ, but dirty by our sinfulness.
So lay up your treasure in heaven, and let Christ clean you. But rely on Christ and not yourself and allow your dust to show!
