S = Luke 4:1-7 “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’”
O = The devil came to Jesus and asked him to use his power to meet his own needs, for he was hungry after fasting for 40 days. What the devil didn’t understand was that Jesus was surrounded by a better feast than any bakery could provide. Bread alone is not enough for us to truly live. I remember the time in John 4:34 when Jesus’ disciples thought someone had brought him some food but “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” He was “eating” from a better meal (see Matt. 4:11)! The devil also presumed to show Jesus all the glorious bling and authority found in earthly kingdoms thinking to lure Jesus with the shock and awe of it all. However, Jesus had just seen heaven opened and heard God, his Heavenly Father speak in 3:21-22. How could worldly kingdoms compare with heaven, and how could the cringing of subjects compare to the love and approval of the Father? As my daughter would say, “That’s a Fail!”
A = The questions I have to answer are: “What is the true source of my life and strength?”, and “How clear in my mind/heart/spirit is my faith’s vision of heaven and my knowledge of God’s love and faithfulness?” My “heavenly vision” needs to come regularly or I will be stained and softened by the muck and the marinade of worldly thinking and values. I have taught for years that all temptation I experience will come at this point…my trust in God’s faithfulness (He will meet my needs. Heaven is better than this broken world. He will bring his plans to pass.). So in what areas will I commit myself to trust, even desperately, in his faithfulness, rather than my own efforts to meet my own needs, this week?
P = O Lord, may I be confident in your love today! May I only serve and worship you…may you be not merely a list of rules to discipline myself to attain in some kind of sanctified self-help, but may your person be the greatest passion in my life…so that I cannot help but follow! Help me to keep your acceptance and faithfulness towards me in mind no matter what tests I might face!
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