Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 and 2 says, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward and hungered. In our previous holiday devotional, we discussed Ash Wednesday. Why? Ash Wednesday kicks off a 40-day observance among the majority of professing Christians called Lent. And I know that most Bible believers who don't observe Lent have no idea what it's all about, and they've never been informed of the meaning of Lent, even though they've been in churches for decades in some cases. I believe we need to be informed and think about our response to such things. Historians believe that the observance of some version of fasting for 40 days leading up to Easter began as early as the 3rd century with documentation from a letter written by Irenaeus to the Bishop of Rome named Victor. And this 40 days of fasting, or what might better be called selective eating, was meant to mimic Jesus' fasting in the wilderness for 40 days, as our text refers us to. By the 5th century, the papacy had been established and Pope Leo required the observance of a 40-day fast among Roman Catholics in the year 461 AD. Now to us Bible believers, that means nothing, but that's the historic basis claimed by followers of Lent for their practice. And again, there's no biblical basis for the observance. The word Lent itself comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word, Lenten, which is the word for what we call spring. and there are no references to a 40-day fast at spring or Lent for Christians in the Bible. So if you know someone who observes Lent, they may or may not be a Roman Catholic, for the various other denominations mentioned in our devotional about Ash Wednesday also partake in Lent. and one Catholic source describes the fasting, or what I call selective eating, rules as follows, quote, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the faithful fast, having only one full meal a day and smaller snacks to keep up one's strength, and abstain from meat. On the other Fridays of Lent, the faithful abstain from meat. People are still encouraged to give up something for Lent as a sacrifice. But even this very relaxed version of fasting can be ignored during other feasts that take place during the season of Lent, like St. Joseph's Day or the Feast of the Annunciation. You may see your Lent-observing friends throw off the rules of Lent and enjoy those days by eating and drinking anything they want. So with that bit of background, you may ask, what should the response of the Bible believer be? And again, our response is to A, as a local church, we don't observe Lent or facilitate any sort of Lent services or activities. But B, we leave it up to each individual as to whatever they want to do and whether they count the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday or follow some sort of program regarding eating, Bible reading, prayer, etc. I know of several people who are King James Bible believers and they like to spend the same period, called Lent, in a special self-imposed program of Bible reading, meditation on the gospel accounts, special prayers, Bible memorization, and abstaining from certain hobbies, sports, entertainment, et cetera, in order to have more time and focus on spiritual matters. And my response to that is, have at it. But just as I don't follow some special or self-imposed programming during Christmas season or any other season, I choose personally to maintain my walk with the Lord, focus on the actual biblical teachings surrounding the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ with remembrance of the Nisan 14 date of the crucifixion and the Nisan 18 resurrection of Jesus. which doesn't land on a Sunday each year, obviously. And in discussion with others, I don't argue about holidays or Lent. I emphasize the importance of understanding the biblical truth and historical evidence for the truth of Matthew 28 6. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said, come, see the place where the Lord lay.