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Just You, Lord
Andrea Lende • February 5, 2021
Luke 4:5-8
Just You, Lord
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Just-You--Lord-eq08aj
Luke 4:5-8
“And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory, for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will.”
“Therefore, if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.”
“And Jesus replied to him, Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”
We’ve read about Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness so many times.
But this time a gentle whisper from the Lord pierced my heart.
In our passage today, Satan is tempting the Lord with power.
All the power in the world.
He said it had been gifted to him to give to whomever he wanted to give it to.
I was convicted as I read these words.
In our current day it seems like we are all chasing after things.
Things like houses and cars and vacations and money.
The more the better.
We think the more we have the more we are respected, the more we are liked, and admired.
We really love admiration.
Do these dreams and notions put us at more risk to be tempted by the enemy?
I think it does if we are seeking power with the wrong motive.
The enemy said, “if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.”
Just one time!
Do homage to the enemy one time and he will give all the power to him who worshiped him.
Again, I was convicted.
Have I ever wanted more power?
Sure.
Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”
I was convicted once more.
My heart wants to serve the Lord.
All. The. Time.
But my head gets in the way.
I tend to lead with my mind and emotions before checking in with my heart.
As I was rolling these things around in my mind, I also heard a gentle whisper from the Lord telling me He is bigger.
He is bigger than my mind and my emotions.
He is Grace.
He forgives.
He forgives my temptations and my sins.
I hold fast to the Lord today.
I ask Him to lead me in all ways.
I ask Him to help me make Him first.
I ask Him to help me make Him first in all things and at all times.
I pray He strengthens me so that I can be led by Him and not by my feelings.
Today I choose God. I choose to worship and honor Him above all.
May you find the Lord is Your God and He is deserving of all your praise and worship.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me that You are a merciful God. Thank You for reminding me that You are the God of all Gods and are deserving of all my worship and praise. Thank You for forgiving me for all my endeavors that didn’t include You. You forgive me at my worst, and then lead me to my best. Thank You, Father, for never letting go of me. Help me put You first in all that I do. Help me seek You first before I seek that which I desire. May my desires be Your desires. Bend my will to Yours and help me honor Your will and plan for my life. Help me follow Your lead. Help me hear and obey Your gentle whispers. Thank You for being so tender and loving. Help me love others as I move through this day. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM beside you, My child, and will lead and guide you today and every day as I pour My Spirit into yours.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.