If you are the Son of God … (Matthew 4:3)
Imagine if Jesus came up to you today, embraced you, and
said, “You are my greatest treasure!” Wouldn’t you be shocked and
speechless? Well, during this Lenten season, you will have numerous
opportunities for this to happen. Day after day, in prayer and in the
Scriptures, you will have the chance to let Jesus show you your true
dignity and identity as his beloved brother or sister.
In today’s
Gospel, we read how Satan tried to get Jesus to question his identity.
He prefaced his temptations by saying, “If you are the Son of God …” He
knew that if Jesus became unsure of his Father’s love and wisdom, it was
much more likely that he would walk away from the plan God had laid out
for him. But Satan’s plan didn’t work. Jesus knew who he was, and he
clung to the word of God so that he could stay focused on his Father.
God
wants you to stand firm on the truth just as Jesus did. He wants to
convince you that you belong to him. He wants to make it clear that he
is completely committed to you. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? But we all
can point to ways that the devil tries to knock us off our foundation in
Christ. There seems to be no end to his attempts to discourage us and
trap us in our fears and weaknesses so that we won’t bother to pray.
When
these temptations come, follow Jesus’ example, and hold on to
Scripture. You are God’s child, born of the incorruptible seed of his
own word (1 Peter 1:23). You are part of a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation (2:9). You have been made alive with Jesus
(Ephesians 2:5) and set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
Your heavenly Father will supply all your needs out of the riches of
his own glory (Philippians 4:19).
There are so many promises. Hold on to them! Believe them—and watch the devil flee!
“Thank you, Lord, for claiming me as your own!”
taken from wau.org
This piece reminds me of a song by Casting Crowns, on the same subject:
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