Matthew 5:3-12

Genesis 3:11-13

Thus He said, “Who said you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” Then Adam said, “The woman You gave me, gave me of the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Personal Challenge

It is always someone else’s fault. It seems like every child is born with the innate ability to point the finger at someone, or something, else when they are caught doing something that they should not have done. As adults, most of us have mastered this ability. It all started in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were challenged about eating the forbidden fruit. They could have confessed the truth, that they had wronged God, but rather than that, they pointed to someone else that made them do it. God’s desire is that we run to Him when we have sinned, confess that sin, and seek His forgiveness. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Personal Challenge

This is a lot of text to read through but is important to get the whole picture. Here is Jesus just having finished fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. He is hungry. He is tired. And now the tempter shows up to tease Him into trusting in the tempter to meet His needs. Jesus defends each attack, each temptation, with a quote from the scriptures. “It is written…” Our personal challenge is to know the scriptures well enough to be able to push back on the temptations that come our way. There is one more very important lesson in here. Even the tempter proclaims, “It is written…” He too knows the scriptures and will twist them to his advantage. We must be careful that we do not do the same and twist the scriptures to mean what we want them to mean. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Genesis 3:8-10

Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves within the tree in the middle of the garden from the presence of the Lord God. So the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” He replied, “I heard Your voice as You were walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Personal challenge

Adam and Eve both knew, immediately, that their sin, their disobedience, was wrong and that they needed to hide from God. And yet, God came looking for them, lovingly, as He always did, God loves us so much more than our sin can interfere with. Our tendency is to hide from God when we sin, when what we need to do is run to Him and expose ourselves and our wrongdoing so that He can heal and restore us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus was able to live His entire human life without sinning. He did this as a fully human being. So, why did He have John baptize Him. It was imperative for Him to cleanse the humanity of mankind of the sin that was present in it through our choices. Through His baptism, He made it possible for all of us to be baptized into God’s righteousness. Through His baptism He also revealed to us the trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Glory be to God!

Genesis 3:7

Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Personal Challenge

There is a very important lesson in this verse about sin. Adam and Eve have just eaten of the forbidden fruit. One of the consequences of this sin was that their eyes were opened to something that they had never seen before. Every sin that we commit does this to us. It opens our eyes to something that will continue to draw us away from our Lord if we choose to keep looking at it. This is why it is so important to never take that first bite. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Matthew 2:18

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

Personal Challenge

Our God is a loving, caring, and merciful God. His desire is for His creation to walk with Him in His garden as life all started out. He grieves when we do things that are harmful to each other for we have all been created in His image. Our challenge, my challenge, is to be as loving as His Son was and give my life for those whom He brings into my life. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Genesis 1:5

God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the account of the creation story, we are reminded that everything that happens here in our earthly life occurs in seasons. Some are longer and some are shorter, but they all have a beginning and an ending. For those who read the scriptures literally, this account is viewed as seven finite, 24-hour days. For those who read with a move open view, this account is viewed as seven periods of time that God performed His acts of creation. Either way, we are still reminded that our lives are filled with various seasons, all with a beginning, and all with an ending. Our goal, our responsibility, is to seek God throughout each of these seasons and observe His hand at work even in our small lives. Glory be to God!