sometimes... His way is just counterintuitive...

Teaching fourth graders Bible today... we talked about temptation...
and Jesus's bout with it in the wilderness... right after His baptism...

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1 NIV

I asked the question... Who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted...?

Not one... but two said... Satan... The devil...

Then I reminded them... Read the Scripture... that's where you'll find the answer...

Heads turned down to open books...

In a moment one read... Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted...

Some eyes went wide as they realized...

God led Jesus into the wilderness...

He ordained this time of temptation...

It just seems counterintuitive... that God the Father...

would set His Son up... to be tempted...

But in His sovereignty... that's what He does...

For Jesus it was a test... proving Himself as the Lamb of God...

sinless... without blemish... able to resist... remain pure...

For us... when He allows temptation in our lives...

leading us... calling us... into the wilderness at times...

it's an opportunity to build spiritual muscle...

Jesus had a purpose in the desert...
He fasted forty days and forty nights...
practiced a spiritual discipline...

Anytime we enter into a spiritual discipline...
especially fasting... we enter a wilderness...
invite temptation...

Again... it's purposeful... a time to build spiritual muscle...

Every time we resist temptation... we grow in faith...

strengthen our ability to obey...

Even when we fall to temptation... we learn to recognize it a little sooner when it comes... for us it's about being transformed spiritually into Christ's character...

Remember... God's way is not always what we think it should be...

sometimes... it leads us to difficulties... trials... temptations...

No one undergoing a trial should say,

"I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted

by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone.

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away

and enticed by his own evil desires.

James 1:13-14 HCSB

So the next time you face temptation...

remember... in His sovereignty... He allowed it...

but at the heart of each temptation...are your own evil desires...

Desires that need to be identified... and eliminated...

Temptation... a time for spiritual purification... when we stand firm and resist...

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond

your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide

the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

Trust Him with the temptations He allows in your life...

it's counterintuitive... I know... but it has a purpose...

examen...

A challenge in Bible study...
a spiritual discipline...
the Daily Examen...

The Daily Examen is a technique of prayer reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God's presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God's hand at work in our whole experience.

---Ignatian Spirituality, The Daily Examen 

The process is generally five steps...
Ask the Spirit to make His presence known...
Review the day with thanksgiving...
Consider when you felt closest to God during the day...
And then when you felt the farthest...
The final step... respond...

On the drive home...
in the quiet of the car...
I walked through examen...

The surprise... the time I felt closest to Him... was as He revealed the points of the day I was the farthest away...

In conviction... I felt His presence...
not cold and hard...
but tender... forgiving...

"... And when [the Helper] comes, he will convict the world

concerning sin and righteousness and judgment...

John 16:8 ESV

In response...
confession...
repentance...
thanksgiving...

an observation about fasting...

Struggling to enter a day of fasting... led to an observation...

On my treadmill... while reading about Christ revealed in Zephaniah...

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

he has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall never again fear evil.

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

"Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save; 

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:14-17 ESV

...a memory came to mind... how often... and how easily... I used to fast...

In my youth... late teens... early twenties... I was a borderline practicing anorexic... going three days... without any significant food... for the sake of my flesh... and how it would look in a bikini... a pre-beach routine... which was almost a weekly event in summer months...

In contrast... this call... to fast for Him... for the sake of His Church... and my spirit... involved a real battle...

And I see... how the enemy loved when I fasted for my flesh... feeding what leads to death and corruption...

For the one who sows to his own flesh 

will from the flesh reap corruption...

Galatians 6:8 ESV

But to fast for the Spirit... sow to eternal life... the enemy tempts... taunts... confuses...

Yes... fasting for Him can be a struggle... but I chose to suffer in the flesh... and follow Him...

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,

arm yourselves with the same way of thinking,

for whoever has suffered in the flesh

has ceased from sin, so as to live for 

the rest of the time in the flesh

no longer for human passions

but for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV

He is in my midst... I will not grow weak... I choose His rejoicing... over my flesh...

And... He will not allow me to be tempted... beyond what I can bear...

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted

beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also

provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

How about you?

Are there spiritual disciplines you are called to... similar to a secular discipline (i.e. studying, serving, etc.)...? When you do it for Him... is it more difficult than doing it for self...?

Do you allow the enemy to win the battle...?

Lord Jesus... continue to open my eyes to the magnitude of the gospel... and what it means to me and the world... Remind me of Your presence with me... provide the strength and the vision... to serve You alone... and not flesh...

it is finished... (almost)...

The week that began full... filled with a panoramic view of my inadequacies... has come to the end... (almost)...

I completed... all that needed to be done... but I know... it wasn't me...

Today... on the treadmill... my current read... included an Oswald Chambers quote...

We must never put our dreams of success as God's purpose for us. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end. His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. (emphasis added)

My process this week... was different... because of a spiritual discipline a friend shared... one she planned for her observance of Holy Week... her own version... of an ancient practice... The Liturgy of Hours...

A daily practice of... stopping... praying... seven times... a day...
dawn or upon waking...
between 9-10am...
between 11am-Noon...
around 3pm...
dusk...
bedtime...
midnight til dawn... (not with alarm... but by His gentle nudge...)

This week... busting records for full... walking a fine line between faith... and panic... considering whether I had committed to things that weren't mine... because as I looked... it was not physically possible... for me to complete...

This discipline of hours... entered life at just the right time... my friend... when she gave it to me... thought I would not attempt the practice... because she knew all I had to do... thought I wouldn't have time...

Well... without it... I don't think I would have done all... at least not without going nuts... and making everyone around me nuts...

This intentional stopping... even if it was just a couple of minutes... turning thoughts to God with purpose... helped me to recognize His presence... His power... His sovereignty in all things... kept me connected... held me together... with peace...

The process... pushed the envelope of faith... stretched the borders... of my spiritual tent... each prayer... a reminder... Without Him... nothing... gets... done... 

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

Lord Jesus... help me to remember... Your end... is the process... the growing of faith... not completing tasks... or achieving success... Truly... Truly...

Word without division...

Currently... one of my spiritual disciplines... involves preparing... spiritual disciplines for others...

50 Scripture passages... for 50 days of meditation... leading up to Easter...

The presenting of verse... typed out in the post... text only... no division of words by chapter... verse... or pericope (those extra title divisions smattered throughout most Bibles)...

The surprise has been... what a difference... the clean presentation of text makes...

Even though I've written each post... each meditation... I receive them via email... as daily posts for the church... primarily to review one more time... find any type-o's... awkward words...

But in this exercise of review... I become lost in the Word... seeing just the words... written as they once were... as letters... correspondence between Believers... no chapters... no verse numbers... no subtitles chopping up content... just a message... to share...

The chapters... and numbering of verse... added by scholars... help with the study of Scripture... mapping... making location of a specific text easier...

But sometimes... those additions... stop us from connecting one verse to another... where a break by a chapter... or pericope... was never intended... thoughts hard to process... because of a number that makes us unwilling to separate a part from a whole...

The insertions of man... can hinder a reading with the Spirit...

This new insight into Scripture... clean and undivided... has made the Word seem more real to me... a story... that comes to life... not just a text... to be studied...

For the word of God is living and active.

Hebrews 4:12

[Note: Have a look for yourself at GrowingAtFUMC.blogspot.com . These contributions are for Lent 2013... they are numbered Day 1 etc... and began on February 10, 2013...]