Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Richard Giesken, Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Missiology, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Luke 4:1-13
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 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. 3 The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ 4 Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 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. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ 8 Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.”’
9 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, 10 for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you”,
11 and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’
12 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
Devotional
The first time I was driven into the wilderness, I was apprehensive. Having grown up in a greener environment, I didn’t expect to see much. But as we journeyed through the Namibian desert where my wife grew up, she pointed out details that I would have otherwise missed. She saw beauty where I saw barrenness and my perception slowly shifted. I began to appreciate the desert for what it was, not just for what it lacked.
Perhaps it’s the harshness, or the unfamiliarity, or the apparent emptiness that makes us resist the wilderness. Yet in Luke 4:1-13, we read that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. In the life of God’s people, the wilderness has always been a place of testing and formation. Israel entered the wilderness after the Exodus, but their 40-year journey was prolonged by disobedience. Jesus, in contrast, walks into the wilderness in obedience, not in rebellion. His testing is not simply about whether he will resist sin, but whether he will trust God.
Each of Jesus’ temptations presents a shortcut to His mission:
- Prove his identity without suffering (turn stones to bread).
- Gain authority and glory without submission (worship Satan).
- Secure divine recognition without embracing the cross (jump from the temple).
In each instance Jesus chooses righteousness through obedience to a good understanding of God’s word.
As we journey through the wilderness of Lent, may it be a place of beauty and hope, rather than dry discipline. As we curtail our comforts, may our dependence on God deepen. Let us step forward, not seeking shortcuts, but trusting in the slow, faithful work of God.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to trust You in the dry places of life. Shape us in your holiness as we hunger and thirst for righteousness. Lead us through the wilderness into the heart of Your love and grace. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Richard Giesken