I talked about this last week in High School class, but I really do think this is important, so I will say it again. Right after God says he is well pleased with Jesus at the end of chapter three, He drives Jesus into the desert for fasting and temptation at the hands of Satan. We need to always remember that faith is not easy - our path as Christians is not supposed to be Candyland - God loves you and He has a difficult plan for your life, that requires reliance on Him. I must never forget this.
In Matthew 4:3 we see that Satan loves to attack when we are at our weakest. Jesus is probably more physically and mentally exhausted than he has ever been in his life and guess who shows up. When we are running ourselves ragged in this world and exhausted relational, physically, mentally, spiritually...be ready for an attack.
Satan comes at Jesus from every angle...first he tries to tempt Jesus physical appetite - what appetites pose a weakness for me? Next he tempts Jesus relationally...tries to get him to test his Father's love - do I get so caught up in what others think of me that I am willing to turn my back on God? Finally he tempts the ego by saying he will give Jesus rule over the whole earth - do I fall prey to temptations that put myself above all others? Jesus stands up to every attack. Does he fight back with his super Jesus powers, utterly beating Satan down? No, he uses something that every one of us can call on - God's word. He simply answers each temptation with scripture. To think that you will be able to stand for God in this world and fight temptation without God's word on your heart is complete folly. We need to put God's word in our hearts.
4:17 - I love that Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is at hand...it is there...he brought it with him. The kingdom of heaven has come crashing to earth through the life and message of Jesus Christ, and you and I can bring a piece of heaven to this sin-filled planet by walking in the footsteps of Christ.
4:20 and 22 - Jesus calls his first disciples and they leave everything to follow him - immediately. They leave it all behind...family, friends, jobs, all of it. Do I have the guts to put my selfishness and fear aside and truly answer the call of Jesus?
Hope you enjoyed reading chapter 4 today. Read chapter 5 tomorrow and then our next reading will be chapter 6 on Monday (Feel free to read the bible on the weekend too!). Please comment on how God spoke to you through chapter 4. Peace be with you.
4 comments:
Temptations come from all directions, many times all at once. And if there is one consistency about evil, it seeks out your weakest points in order to exploit them – this I know all too well. I would pray that we all turn to the Word when confronted by temptation – because our ways and justifications just don’t seem to cut it.
I thought it was very cool, once again, how Jesus fulfills prophecy just by walking to another place (v13). Maybe it’s time we too walked on to a different place in our lives.
Fav – ordinary guys (and girls later) leaving their stuff because they realize that it’s just, well, stuff and ordinary. The Extraordinary walked by and quietly asked for their everything and they gave it all.
Pray that I stop running back (on more occasions that I would like to admit) to stuff that is just ordinary. Pray I give Him my all – everyday.
Peace - j
Brando, how do I tell people about my faith? My friends know I go to church and everything.. I can't just walk up to some random person and start talking about God.
sorry.. i didnt realize about the comment thing. =P i'm a blonde
I think of the Star Wars trilogy when I think of temptation. When Anakin Skywalker finally finds his mom captured, and destroys her captors, it sets off the domino that eventually turns him to the darkside. He did so much as a good guy, but in his weakest moment was attacked and failed, and ultimately led to his downfall. I hate that Satan waits till we're at our weakest to attack us, but it gives us something to continuously work on. Having God's Word in your heart truly is key for all of this.
Post a Comment