Daily Devotions

Today, on our Lenten Journey,  we have a question to answer from Megan Westra, a children's and worship pastor who asks, “What if we view this desert time of Lent as not just a time to reflect or to lament or to confess or to fast, but a time where we learn to be free?" 

I wonder, have you ever placed yourself in wilderness of temptation and considered the things  Jesus faced? 

Jesus, like Moses before him, retreats into the wilderness where he fasts for forty days. Each temptation involves a seizure of power: power over the elements of creation by turning stones into bread, political and military power by gaining power over the kingdoms of the world, and the power to force God's protection in an inappropriate manner. That Jesus was tested throughout his ministry was widely held in early Christianity. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us, "For do we not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathise with out weakness, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."

Yet, what do we make of Megan’s second premise, “a time where we learn to be free!”

In John 8 we have the astounding words, “that the Truth will set us free” and specifically “If the Son has set us free we are free indeed!”

Jesus hearers were stuck in their sense of themselves, in the pride they took in their heritage. Perhaps we can admit that we too have sometimes climbed the wrong heights, have mistakenly congratulated ourselves. We need to realise that our true dignity lives in our being a children of God. We pray that we may show our true worth in how we live and call others to a deeper and richer sense of themselves.

Jesus wants to lead us into truth so that we may be free. If we truly desire freedom, we need to be ready to accept the truth. There is nothing threatening or accusatory here-it is about being known fully and loved deeply.

Lord, you told of these temptations to your disciples - how else would they have known? Can I put words on my own temptations, the weaknesses or wickedness that draw me in particular? Can I see my temptations as you did, against the backdrop of the vocation to which you call me and find your promised freedom today. I pray so in Jesus name.  Amen