February 22, 2026

Today's Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 4:1-26; Mark 2:18-28

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Because of our sinful nature, it doesn't always take a whole lot of prodding from Satan for us to succumb to temptation.

Are you ever tempted by selfishness? After all, look at how much you've sacrificed for others.

Are you ever tempted to complain? Why not? There's certainly enough wrong with this world and my life to be upset. Are you ever tempted to pass the blame? It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. You've got to be a little unscrupulous if you want to succeed in life.

Are you ever tempted to worship something or someone else before God? There’s always a temptation to neglect being in worship!

Are you ever tempted by lust or by gossip or by greed? Are you ever tempted by worry or by laziness or by pride? How often do these temptations result in sinful action?

We cannot escape the daily assault of temptations that the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh visit upon us. And there is nothing that we can do to overcome them. For this reason, we need a Savior! Thanks be to God, this is the Savior we’ve been given in Christ Jesus.

Though He is God (100% divine), Jesus is also a human being (100% man). Because of this union, Jesus is the perfect human being who has done everything right where we have done wrong. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin.

He fulfilled God's plan for the salvation of all the world and actively kept the Law of God perfectly for you. His perfect life wasn’t just to show you how it’s done, but it was actually a necessary part of God’s plan to save you.

Not only is Jesus’ dying part of God’s plan, but also His living- His succeeding where we fail. And His success in withstanding Satan’s temptations was perfect.

Now, through faith, the victory over Satan that Christ accomplished is your victory. He shares it fully and freely with you. What Jesus did right is credited to you; it is declared by God to be your own!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the Promised Land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. Chad Hoover serves as Campus Pastor and theology teacher at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, IN and pastoral assistant at Emanuel Lutheran Church in New Haven, IN.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.