Jesus knows how you feel

Imagine you’re homeless. 

You’ve spent the last 40 days out in the cold of a Wisconsin winter. Your clothes smell awful…there’s a chill deep down in your bones…your stomach is aching, begging for food.

You’re walking downtown, and you see the big picture window of a swanky boutique hotel. Inside on the other side of the glass, you see a feast: Steam rising off the lamb chops. Right next to the lemon pepper-encrusted salmon. Right next to the tender chunks of chicken wrapped in thick bacon.

You’re practically drooling on the window when a voice asks you, “Hungry?” You look over to see a strange man standing at the door, and he says, “I can get you in! In fact, I can even get you into a room for free…King-sized bed. Softest mattress in town. Hottest shower you’ve probably had in a long time, bud.” And your body, like a magnet, is drawn in his direction. He says, “All you have to do is bow down to me. Just take a knee. Thirty seconds and it’ll be over; I’ll get you inside.”

What would you do?

Bowing down to a stranger may seem like a small price to pay for food and shelter after 40 days of starvation. 

Did you know that Jesus faced this very same type of temptation? In Luke chapter 4, after 40 days of fasting, Jesus was tempted by Satan to bow down and worship him in exchange for the “authority and splendor” of “all the kingdoms of the world.”

Jesus knows how much we are tempted. He was tempted to sin in the same ways we are. 

Are you feeling stressed? Jesus knew extreme stress.

Heartbroken? Jesus was betrayed and denied by his best friends.

Lonely? Jesus was left forsaken on a cross when he bore the punishment of the sins of mankind.

Jesus knows exactly how you feel—because he’s felt it too.

This month’s book, Jesus Knows: 90 Days Through the Gospels, by Pastor Ben Sadler will help you find strength and comfort in your journey when you read not only about Jesus’ hard times but also the life lessons he shared with his disciples, friends, and family. 

This book is perfect for Bible study groups: 

• Each of the 90 days begins with a listing of the passages to read from the gospels.
• Then you’ll read a short summary or some commentary on this section of Jesus’ story. 
• Then you’ll respond to two or three “For Further Study” questions. Here are a couple of examples:
• How might you practice Sabbath rest, not as a law but as a gift of God?
• Why might you find comfort that even John the Baptist went through a time of doubt?

We’ll send you Jesus Knows: 90 Days Through the Gospels as a thank-you for your gift this month to help tell others that the same God who suffered with us is the same one who conquered sin to save us.