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    First Sunday of Lent – March 1, 2020

      First Sunday of Lent (A) 2020

      INTRO: I remember that my two younger sisters each had a “security blanket” ……. raggy and dirty to a degree!!!!

      And I remember frantically trying to look for it when they seemed to have lost it…SUCH TANTRUMS….they couldn’t last living without it until it was in their hands!

      That “security blanket” was PRECIOUS to them… so precious that THEY COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT, EVER!!!!

      Funny how some things are!
      Funny how we all MAY have some things in our lives that today we just cannot live without!

      Is there anything that you cannot live without …..?

      Say,
      Cellphone?
      Computer?
      Food?
      Drink?
      Addictions?

      In a way Adam and Eve couldn’t live without…
      Getting to that tree in the middle of the garden!

      They were obsessed with eating off of that tree of life and mainly because they thought eating off of it they would become BETTER!

      Adam and Eve wanted to become BETTER (which is a good thing), but THEY WANTED to do it all on their own!

      They were more concerned about using this tree to get better than about using God to get better.

      The tree in the Garden story shows us that some people believe that ability over their desire to improve comes from one’s own personal reach and investment at trying to become “perfect” as the heavenly Father is perfect and NOT RELYING, USING or checking in with God!

      Same with the THREE temptations ……………….

      ……… Every response to the temptation of the devil Jesus uses a reference that GOD will take care of His improvements!!

      “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”.

      “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

      “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve.”

      LENT is always a time to IMPROVE ourselves. But the improvement doesn’t come from our own strength, willpower, determination, but, first from CHECKING IN WITH GOD that our improvement is His design. We don’t go to the tree first … We go to GOD first!

      CONCLUSION

      We need to believe more in His presence in our lives to become better people.

      We need to acknowledge Him more concerning our advancements and improvements during this season of LENT asking God;
      “Is this what you want of me this Lenten season?”

      This is what you can’t live without….. It is CHECKING IN with God first and foremost on how to IMPROVE one’s self!

      Don’t reach for the tree
      Reach for GOD!

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