Weekly Devotional from
Pastor Eddie Jenkins
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry" (Luke 4:1-2).
Today is Ash Wednesday which officially marks the beginning of Lent. This coming Sunday, February 22, will be the First Sunday in the Lenten season which lasts 40 days. This period of time is based on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and being tempted by the devil recorded in Luke 4.
Lent originally was established for new Christians, those who experienced a call. They were to spend 40 days and 40 nights preparing for their baptism. If at the end they still wanted to follow Jesus, then on Easter Eve they would be baptized as the sun was rising in the east, signaling the new day, the new era, inaugurated because of the Resurrection.
I am sure it had a powerful significance for them, to have prepared for their vocation as Christians the same way Jesus prepared for His vocation as the Messiah: 40 days of introspection and self-examination. Later, the church used the 40 days as a time of renewal for those who were already Christians. This was because at a certain point in time everyone was baptized as infants. So, the time of Lent was used as a time of renewal and recommitment to the Christian life, examining our lives in light of the One we are supposed to follow.
Forty days. That's a long time to fast. A long time to be tempted by Satan. Fortunately, Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" during this period, and he was "led by the Spirit in the wilderness" (vs. 1). As grueling as these 40 days were, they had a purpose.
As we look at these verses in Luke 4, it is evident that Jesus was relying on His knowledge of God’s Word. Every temptation that Satan put before Him, Jesus countered with scripture. And even when Satan used scripture against Him, He was able to deal with it with other scripture.
After all of these temptations, the devil departs from him until an opportune time. Jesus comes through this harrowing experience by letting go of some things and finding some others. In the end, he finds much more than he loses. The same is true for us.
We can find real nourishment in the word of God -- in teachings that show us the path to deep and lasting satisfaction. We can find rest and peace by worshiping God alone. And we can find safety and security in a right relationship with God, one that is based on serving instead of testing. As always, Jesus shows us the things worth finding as well as those things we should be willing to lose.
If you would really like to learn more about Jesus and his ministry, I would suggest that you spend some time studying Luke’s Gospel, especially Chapter 4. It actually gives us a rather detailed account of the ministry of Jesus and helps us understand how His life and ministry unfolded. I pray that our devotional today will whet your appetite to dig into Luke’s writings a little deeper.
I look forward to our services on Sunday as we begin our journey through the Lenten season on our way to Easter. The message for this first Sunday in Lent is entitled “Winning the Grand Prize” and our Scripture lesson is from I Kings 17:8-16. I hope to see you then.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK WITH JESUS!
Pastor Eddie Jenkins
