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Walking by the Sea
If I were Jesus’ therapist, there is one moment in particular that I’d love to process Read More
Candice Marie Benbow | Read Luke 4:1-13
We live in a world where every experience has to be posted online. If you don’t show proof to your followers on social media, then it didn’t happen. People can become so intent on capturing a moment that they miss being present in it. Everything must be manufactured for public...
Loving God, help me be honest about my motivations and intentions. I never want to stray from what I truly want—more of you. Help me to draw closer to you and to your love. Amen.
As we begin the Lenten season, the practice of fasting and denying ourselves for forty days can seem harrowing. All the texts for this week remind us that we do not embark on this journey alone. God goes with us. We start the week with the texts for Ash Wednesday, with Isaiah admonishing us to ensure that we are on this journey for the sole reason of drawing closer to God. As we step deeper into Lent, the remaining passages emphasize the humanity that we bring to this season of fasting. Luke reminds us that we are not walking a new path. Jesus has already gone before us.
• Read Psalm 51:1-7. How do you work to free yourself of any guilt you may have from past mistakes? How do you help to foster that same feeling in others?
• Read 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10. What kinds of problems have you endured because of your faith? How have those struggles influenced your understanding of what salvation is and how it is received?
• Read Luke 4:1-13. Are you aware of times when distractions derailed previous fasts? What did you learn from those experiences? How can those lessons help you on this fast and in the future?
• Read Deuteronomy 26:1-11. Remember a time when God answered a prayer and a deep longing of your heart. How did it make you feel? How did you mark the experience?
Respond by posting a prayer.
