March 10, 2017
Lenten Devotions – Stop Letting Things Get in Your Way

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.” Matthew 4:1-11

We are a people who try to juggle a lot of things. Our lives are filled with responsibilities, with obligations, with appointments for our parents, and practices for our children. Too often in the process of juggling all of our responsibilities, we forget to try to work in some time for G-d. As I said in a recent sermon, we become too accustomed to giving G-d what we have left, including our time and attention, instead of giving G-d what is right. A discipline we can take this Lent is to give up some of our busy-ness and give G-d more of our time and attention. We have to make an effort to stop allowing other things to get in the way of our focus on our faith lives. Or, in other words, we have to stop letting “things” get in our way. Obstacles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes: some are made of our own devices, others are thrown at us by obligations, even by Satan, and some just become excuses. This Lent, make an effort to stop allowing obstacles to get in your way of a stronger relationship with G-d.

This week, as part of your Lenten devotions, I want you to collect one bar of soap each day, and on Sunday March 12 bring in your six bars of soap to donate to Trinity’s Table.

Pastor Dave