Day 13 – Temptation

Coffee and cake (DM)

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him…And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God… (Matthew 3: 13, 16-4: 3)

Desert (EN)

Temptations follow baptism. They come to those in whom God delights and who are filled with him. The testing is a consequence of being filled with the Spirit. The challenge for us is to turn from preoccupation with our own sin and failure. Something holy and purposeful is at work in us. The wilderness is the natural habitat of the Spirit. This challenges us in the way we respond to the tests and struggles of life.

(Extract from Dust & Glory by David Runcorn)

 Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, and lead me into the temptation of God.