What will you give?

Dear Friends-
Today's message comes on the second day of Lent, the season of prayer and preparation for Easter. As Christians, this is the most important time of the year because it forces to us to focus on our relationship with God. This period of self- examination should inspire us to elevate our relationships to another level through prayer, worship, and fasting.

As we meditate on the sacrifices that Christ made for us, the season of Lent calls us to make sacrifices in rememberance of Him. You will be tempted during this period, just as Christ was tempted after 40 days in the wilderness. Don't give up! Balance those feelings of weakness with introspection and thanksgiving for all that Christ has done for us. Spend this time "denying yourself" and focusing on God.

Christ willingly gave His life for us; surely, you can live without "that thing" that gives you pleasure for the next 39 days. If you love to eat, consider fasting. If you love a certain TV show, skip it. If you love to shop or eat out, give all of that money to the church instead. Make your sacrifice genuine and do it with love.

(By they way, giving up smoking, drinking, gossiping, etc. is not truly a sacrifice. You're not supposed to do those things anyway.)

Stay blessed and stay strong!
K.

The Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4)

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’[e]”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.