Monday, August 8, 2011

Matthew 4

When Jesus was in the wilderness he experienced the same temptations, in the same sequence, as did the people of Israel when they entered into the wilderness after escaping from Egypt. Jesus was tempted regarding hunger; testing God and false worship. Unlike Israel, Jesus was faithful. (See Exodus 16, 17 and 19-32)

This matters to me because these are the kinds of trials and temptations that happen to me because I am called to be a part of God’s people, to do God’s work in the world.

At their core, these temptations are not about things I really want to do, but know I should not; they are temptations to be someone other than the person God calls me to be. These are temptations to deny I am a child of God.

I want to live my life by trusting in Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. Every day I am tempted to deny my life in Christ and trust in something else to meet my needs. Like Jesus, I can turn to scripture and affirm that I am a child of God. So can you.

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

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