Good Morning Friends,
Lent invites us to remember both the joy of life with God and the honest struggle of keeping faith in a world full of suffering, questions, and temptation. It calls us to carry God’s love into the ordinary moments of life—into conversations, conflicts, disappointments, and quiet acts of kindness. At the center of this love is the Hebrew word ḥesed (kheh‑sed). Many don’t know the word, yet they know its sweetness when they taste God’s presence. Scripture in the KJV translates it as mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness, and favour—and in two rare moments as reproach (Proverbs 14:34) and wicked thing (Leviticus 20:17). These variations reveal its depth not only for Israel but for all of us. Not all translations define hesed with the same emphasis. There are nuances. Psalm 136 shows us its core: God’s loyal, active, covenant love—expressed in creation, salvation, provision, and compassion, enduring forever. This is the love we fear losing because it is more real than anything we chase. Even Sabbath rest reminds us that God’s nearness is better than our best dreams. And so, we ask: How does God’s ḥesed reshape our understanding of temptation and redemption?
Scripture With Brief Summary: Matthew 4:1–11 – Jesus resists temptation with Scripture.Matthew 6:13 – We pray for deliverance from temptation.Proverbs 20:24 – God directs our steps.Romans 5:12–19 – Adam brings death; Christ brings life.Genesis 3:1–5 – The serpent twists God’s word.Numbers 21:4–9 – Healing comes by looking up in faith.Psalm 136 – God’s ḥesed endures forever.Micah 6:8 – Do justice, love ḥesed, walk humbly.Isaiah 58 – True devotion is justice and mercy.Leviticus 20:17 – Holiness protects relationships.Proverbs 14:34 – Righteousness lifts up a people.
Message: Scripture—and even great literature—shows people facing temptation: Adam and Eve in a garden, Joseph in a foreign land, Jesus in the wilderness, and in The Brothers Karamazov, characters wrestling with doubt and desire. These stories remind us that God does not plant evil desires in us, but He does allow us to walk through tests. Every moment becomes a choice between trust and distrust, obedience and disobedience.Suffering often sharpens the struggle. Yet our questions reveal something holy: we were made to seek Someone greater than ourselves. We do not need absolute proof to resist temptation—we need trust in the God whose steadfast love endures forever.This loyal, self‑giving love is the heartbeat of Scripture and the gospel. It is also the quiet center of The Brothers Karamazov, where Father Zosima and Alyosha embody a love that bears with others, suffers with them, and hopes for them even when they cannot hope for themselves. This is ḥesed in human form—love that stays, acts, and refuses to let go. We may not be universally loving as Father Zosima suggests but thankfully Jesus did take on such responsibility. Lent calls us into this same love. Isaiah 58 reminds us that true devotion addresses injustice, feeds the hungry, shelters the vulnerable, and refuses to hide from relationships. This is the love Christ shows in the wilderness and ultimately on the cross. Here the bronze serpent (Numbers 21) meets the story of Jesus. You see, Israel was not saved by removing the snakes but by looking up in faith. So too, we are saved by looking to Jesus, who became the curse for us so that we might live. God gives us the dignity of choice: look up and live.
And So, God’s Hesed reshapes temptation and redemption. Hesed exposes the limits of temptation. Temptation preys on fear and desire, but God’s love is older and stronger. Ḥesed reveals redemption as God’s initiative. We are not redeemed because we resist perfectly, but because God refuses to abandon us. Ḥesed turns fear into hope. God’s love outlasts our failures and heals what sin breaks. Ḥesed empowers resistance through love, not fear. We resist because we are held in a love that will not let us go. Temptation reveals our desire; ḥesed reveals God’s mercy; redemption reveals His victory. This is ḥesed in action—mercy for the undeserving, healing for the wounded, life for the dying, hope for the ashamed. This is the journey of faith: from temptation to transformation, from brokenness to being loved, from wandering to walking in the way of the Lord. Friends, either nothing matters, or nothing else matters. The time is coming. Jesus will return. The choice is ours. Look up and live.
Pray that we practice ḥesed entering the world’s pain without becoming its prisoner. Pray that we love even when love is not returned. Pray that we believe no one—not even ourselves—is beyond redemption. Pray that the Lord of steadfast love teaches us the way of ḥesed. Pray that God softens our cold places, gives courage to love the difficult, patience to bear with the broken, and humility to see our own need for mercy. Pray that God makes us instruments of healing love, carrying Christ’s compassion into the world. Pray that our love, loyalty, and actions glorify Him this Lent.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 