TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Jesus answered, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Luke 4:8
Read: Luke 4:5-8
Listen: Luke 4
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Taking Jesus to a high place, Satan tells Jesus, “Worship me and all of this is yours. You can have everything: authority and glory.” This temptation offers Jesus an out. Rather than suffer the pain and humiliation of a trial, multiple beatings, mocking and death on a cross, Jesus can skip all that by worshiping Satan. He offers Jesus a choice: suffering or no suffering? Who to worship? Who to serve? He offers Jesus all the splendor and power without suffering and pain. Jesus responds by choosing, worshiping and serving God alone. Everything he is, does and chooses belongs to God.
We also get to choose. We can say, “It’s all mine. I will spend my money how I want to, sleep with who I want to and do whatever I want.” Or we can say, “God, it’s all yours. You get my money, time, body, relationships, where I live and my free time. Everything. It’s all yours.” These are choices we make every hour of every day. Like Jesus, the right choice is to say to God, “It’s all yours.”
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
In your journal, list the relationships, roles, experiences and things that make up your life. Next to each one, write, “It’s yours.” Conclude by thanking God for each one as you recommit them to the Lord.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
July is SOLITUDE. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
