Family Dinner & Devos, Feb 18-24

Learn-By-Heart Verse for the Week (NIV Translation):

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve and only Him.”  Luke 4:8

Something Old:  Deuteronomy 26:5-9

Something New:  Luke 4:1-13

1.  The reading from Deuteronomy does not use the number 40, but it is after 40 years in the wilderness that this passage takes place.  The people remember that God was with them, faithfully, with “an outstretched arm and a mighty hand.”  Describe a time in your life when you felt God’s mighty presence with you… or a time in which you saw that God is faithful to His promises.

2.  In Luke, Jesus is tempted by Satan.  In what ways are you tempted? 

3. Jesus does not give into Satan’s temptations.  Rather, He meets each of Satan’s temptations with a Word from God.  Through this, we can see why it is so important to read and know God’s Word.  Whenever we ourselves are tempted, we can ask, “What does God say?” or “What does the Bible say?”  Lent is a 40-day journey to spend more time in scripture.  How might you do this?  How can you help one another gathered around the table to spend more time knowing God’s Word?

Music

Christian artist Michael Card wrote a set of songs in which he linked Old Testament stories to New Testament stories.  In the song “In the Wilderness,” Card talks about the Exodus journey of wandering in the wilderness for 40 years… and then how Jesus becomes our “exodus” – our way to holy ground.  The prayer is that on the wilderness journey of Lent we will indeed find that Jesus is our way.  You can listen to this song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_2-vmj2tBM .  What do you think of the following line from this song:  “Wandering in the wilderness is the best way to be found”?

Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Thank you that you are always with us

            with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand.

We thank you that your love endures forever.

Help us to feel that power and love when we are on the journey,

            especially when times are hard.

May we know that we can find strength and guidance in your word.

May your truth always win against any temptations that we face.

We ask for your blessing on this wilderness journey

as we are found in you.

Amen.