Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7, Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13 & 17, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
My Beloved, God created man and woman and breathed a soul into them. He intended them to live in eternal joy with Him in paradise. He gave the all they needed to be perfectly happy saying to them,“You may eat of every tree in the garden, 17 but
of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will not eat, for on the day
you eat of it, you will die.”
He made known to them the outcome should they disobey yet, sadly, despite walking with God each day and conversing with Him they did not know Him. They were so easily swayed by the tempter into believing that God and not he, the Devil, who has been a liar and a deceiver from the start.
As soon as they were caught in their sin they were afraid and hid from their Creator and instead of acknowledging they had sinner and begged for forgiveness they made excuses by laying the blame elsewhere and not on themselves.
How often I too make excuses for my lapses into sin. God wants me to walk in the freedom that belongs to His children but I prefer to wallow in my shame and use my own inadequate resources to cover my nakedness. Forgive me Lord! Help me! I need You.
Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13 & 17
I have sinned O Lord, against You alone I have sinned. I acknowledge my guilt. Have pity on me O Lord because You know I am weak. I come to You and beg You to forgive me. Wash me, cleanse me, restore me, purify me, strengthen me and help me to avoid offending You again I in turn will praise You my Lord all the days of my life.
Romans 5:12-19
My Beloved, there is no compromising with sin - the wages of sin is death. We were created for perfect union with God and with one another but when our first parents sinned the glory of God was lost to us all forever. They passed on their wounded nature and spiritual death to all their descendants and we would have had no hope but for God's infinite, goodness, tenderness and mercy reaching out to save us restoring to us that which we had lost thorugh the disobedience of our first parents. So magnanimous and stunningly generous would be the act of love that would save us that we would never doubt the tender mercy of the God of Love for His wayward children.
He sent You my Beloved to pay pay the debt we owed with Your life. You who are God and the only Son of God became Man in order to bear our sin, die to it and in doing so restore us to the life that we had lost.
Thank You Beloved for making a life of grace possible for me again.
Matthew 4:1-11
My Beloved, You have shown us how to live and ombat evil. The Holy Spirit is Your Gift to us and He makes possible a life live in grace,. Temptations can be overcome if we rely on the channels of grace You make available to us though the Sacraments. We are not alone and we do not struggle on our own. You are closer to us than our breath and You will never let us fall if we cry out to You to help and save us.
In this Season of Lent help me to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. I am weak Lord I need Your strength. Help me!
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