Ash Wednesday (March 5). SERVE ONLY GOD

Prepare to Listen.  Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.
 
Prayerfully Read Luke 4:1-13
What caught your attention as you read these familiar verses?
 
Luke begins with a brief description of Jesus’ state: “he was famished.”  He ends with a description of the devil’s state, “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.”  The devil is a bully and, like all bullies, he’s insecure and weak.  The only way to win was to attack when the opponent was at his weakest.  After a 40-day fast, when Jesus was famished, seemed like a good moment for the bully.
 
Three times he attacked Jesus on his identity (Son of God) and loyalty (serve only God).  Jesus wasn’t the weak, unalert person the devil assumed.  He remained confident of God’s claim made at his baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved” (3:22), and therefore committed to God’s command, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”  If the devil thought he could shake Jesus’ commitment to God alone and defeat him  He was wrong.
 
Jesus’ confidence in God was unshakeable because he was committed to living in obedience to God’s Law.  Three times he confronted the devil with, “It is written.’’  Three times, the devil was foiled.  Jesus was rooted in Scripture and committed to serving only God.  When testing comes to us, and it will come, we too will only remain loyal to God alone if we daily root ourselves deeply in God’s Word and commit to serving only God.
 
What tests are you facing today?  Whom will you serve?
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What caught your attention as you read these verses that are familiar to many?
 
Luke begins with one word to describe Jesus’ state, “he was famished.”  He ends with a description of the devil’s state, “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.”  The devil is a bully and, like all bullies, he’s insecure and weak.  The only way to win was to attack when the opponent is at his weakest.  After a 40-day fast, when Jesus was famished, seemed like a good moment for the bully.
 
Three times he attacked Jesus on his identity (Son of God) and loyalty (serve only God).  Jesus wasn’t the weak, unalert person the devil assumed.  He remained confident of God’s claim made at his baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved” (3:22), and therefore committed to God’s command, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”  If the devil thought he could shake Jesus’ commitment to God alone and defeat him, the devil was wrong.
 
Jesus’ confidence in God was unshakeable because he was committed to living in obedience to God’s Law.  Three times he confronted the devil with, “It is written.’’  Three times, the devil was foiled.  Jesus was rooted in Scripture and committed to serving only God.  When testing comes to us, and it will come, we too will only remain loyal to God alone if we daily root ourselves deeply in God’s Word and commit to serving only God.
 
What tests are you facing today?  Whom will you serve?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord, as Lent begins help me practice the discipline of daily meditating on your word and may your Spirit plant it deep in my heart and mind so that I stand the tests that confront me each day.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Like Jesus, serve only God.