Lessons in Lent

Lent is a time when we remember Jesus being in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.

We remember, He was tempted by the devil.

We remember that Jesus was fully human, as well as fully God in his humanity.

He was truly tempted.

I don’t know if any of you have fasted for 40 days and 40 nights I have not.

I think I’ve only done a 48 hour fast, and I was really hungry .

I started to think, what did Jesus truly feel in those forty days?

Hot, thirsty, hungry, alone in his thoughts, weak, vulnerable.

Those are the feelings as a human I would feel, and I think he would too.

We read about the temptation in Luke chapter 4

So when the devil tempted him with "change the stones into bread" he could’ve easily done that. Or "throw yourself off this cliff and let the angels catch you!"

Or "bow down to me and I will give you all the eye can see."

Even in his weakened state, Jesus didn’t fall for the devils deceitful ways!

Instead he used scriptures to combat the devils, accusations and temptations.

 

That’s a challenge to me!

When the enemy whispers lies in your ear SHOUT SCRIPTURE BACK AT HIM!!

to do this I need to know scripture. I used to memorise verses from the bible. Anyone want to join me in memoriseing again?

 

We are in about the third week of lent, and for half of that time I have been flat out with a chest infection.

For those who know me, I am a doer!

If I am ill, I will myself to be better and force myself to do things. This time I gave up as I was unable to.

Then my mind went all over the place. I struggled with guilt. I struggled with frustration. I struggled with discouragement.

 

Then I started to think about Jesus in the desert, alone with his feelings and the devil coming to to tempt him.

 

It’s encouraged me to think that Jesus was fully human and that he fully grasps our humanity. Our emotions our failings. The way we beat ourselves up in our minds.

He totally gets us.

He understands us and more importantly, something that I know I need to keep going back to and grasp,

is he loves us.

In our frailty in our humanness in our feelings, He loves us. He is with us and he is for us.

 

Thank you Jesus

You meet us in our humanness.

You meet us where we are at.

You look us in the eye and say

“ I’ve got you, I love you,

I am for you”

Thank you that after lent there is the hope of Easter.

Amen