Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Today is always all we have

Sunday, March 5, 2017

From Genesis 2 and Matthew 4
The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being ... Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil ... Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

The air is still, the sun shines. Outside my window birds cling to their feeders, and a squirrel hangs on for dear life and sunflower seeds. Half the time he's upside down. Doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Our chickens are warm in the sun. They congregate upon the place beneath. What the squirrels and birds drop, they find and eat.

For them this is today. This is what they have. They are not anxious for more. They don't need the knowledge of good and evil. They are eating from their tree of life.

Adam and Eve wanted more. Then, in the eternal moment, Jesus-God walks through the garden in the quiet of the evening, calling them.

Adam and Eve have had a busy day. Earlier they listened to the serpent's invitation to "be like gods,"and now their eyes are open, and "they realize they are naked." Now, as never before when they hear the call of God, they are sore afraid. Jesus comes toward them and asks them, "Why?"

... Another moment in eternity. Now Jesus "is led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." He's been fasting. He's hungry. And the serpent begins to sing.

But Jesus, being God, was in the garden with his friends Adam and Eve. He knows the story. He turns away from the serpent song. Unlike Eve he doesn't eat the fruit. Unlike Esau he doesn't give up his birthright for some soup. Unlike David he does not call Bathsheba to his bed.

My friend says, "The Scriptures contain all that is necessary for our salvation." Jesus knew the scriptures and used them to knock the devil back, and back, and back. In this eternal moment Jesus reclaimed our world as God's kingdom.

In my eternal moment, the birds eat and sing and fly. So do I. This is the day that the Lord has made. This moment does not rush by; it lingers, and within it I can rest. Jesus is alive.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Your words are honey in the honeycomb. When you invite me in to eat, I want to say, "Yes!" Dip my hand into the honey, bring it dripping up into my mouth. Your words are filled with love, they are wise and true. Your words shine bright and erase the night. Bless the Lord, o my soul.

Devotions Archive

Today is always all we have

Sunday, March 5, 2017