Facing Temptation

Matthew 4:1, 5, 8, 11: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness … Then the devil took him to the holy city … Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain … Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

We know the story of Jesus' temptations while He was communing with God in the wilderness just prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry. We have read or heard the account of the ways Satan tried to tempt Jesus to sin, even though he knew that Jesus was sinless.

But have you ever noticed how much the locations of Jesus’ temptations represent the full gamut of our life experience? Think about it for a minute ...

Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual wilderness in your life? A time when you felt like you were not close to God? When you were discouraged? 

It is at times of discouragement or depression that we might expect a person to come face-to-face with the temptation to sin. When we are hungry for something more, something better. We might be tempted to look to the "bread" of hopes and dreams to fill us.

Jesus faced that temptation in His wilderness.

Sometimes, even while involved in church or religious activity I have been tempted to be or to do something other than godly-based things.  When I am seeing some spiritually significant thing happening either in my own life, or I see how God has used me in someone else's life, I am tempted to become proud of my service for God.

Jesus faced that temptation at the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city Jerusalem.

In a sense, we are probably most tempted to sin when we see ourselves being successful in some public way. When other people recognize something we have done and applaud us.

Jesus faced that temptation when looking at all the kingdoms of the world from the top of the high mountain.

Our enemy knows us well enough to hit us with temptation when we are least expecting it as well as when we are most vulnerable so we must be on guard always.

When we stand against temptation as Jesus did, our tempter will have to leave us and God will minister to our weak or wounded spirit just as He did for Jesus.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." ~ James 4:7

 

Don't Just Talk the Talk

I was reading this morning in the Gospels of Matthew (chapter 3), Mark (chapter 1), and Luke (chapter 3) about John the Baptist.

He was quite a character. He spent a lot of time in the desert preaching. He dressed strangely. He ate strange food.

But he was a powerful yet humble preacher. Hundreds of people were listening to his message of repentance.

One of his messages that people were listening to was catching a lot of attention: 

                       Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

 People from all walks of life were asking John what he meant by that message.

When religious Jews asked him what he meant, he explained that

      ✔ true repentance puts aside any excuse for one’s pretense of righteousness on his/her own, such as heritage/background (Mark 3:8-9). Being a Jew was not enough.

When the common people asked him what he meant, he told them that

       ✔ true repentance disregards what you have (Mark 3:11). You will be willing to share whatever you have with others if/when the opportunity arises.

When the tax collectors asked John what he meant, he explained that

      ✔ true repentance is not concerned with greed or with dishonesty (Mark 3:13).

When the soldiers asked what he meant, John told them that 

     ✔ true repentance is selfless, honest, and content (Mark 3:14).

When a person has true repentance, it will be obvious from the way he lives.   

The fruit in keeping with repentance will be the fruit of humility, caring, honesty, contentment.

 It looks to me like my true repentance will show. It will not be just talk.

To put John the Baptist's message into 21st century language, "Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk".

Follow God's Leading

                                                                

Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife ...

As I read the account of Jesus’ birth and early years, I am reminded of the beauty of how God leads us.  

Joseph was a man of humble means. He was a carpenter. He was not wealthy. He probably was not educated beyond the basic schooling of that day.   

Much of what was happening in his life at a time that should have been exciting - engaged and looking forward to a new life with a new wife - was in an upheaval.

Events were way outside his comfort zone.

What was happening was beyond his ability to know and act without God’s help.  

But Joseph obviously had a deep faith that included the astuteness to recognize God’s direction through his dreams.  

Every time he had a dream, he took to heart the leading it gave him.  

He married Mary after a dream.

He left Bethlehem and went to Egypt as the result of a dream.

He came back to Israel because of a dream.   

He moved from Bethlehem back to Nazareth because of a dream.   

Each move was one he probably would never have made for any other reason, but each one was timely and wise.   

God led Joseph by giving him dreams because God does whatever is necessary to help us know what to do.

For Joseph it was in dreams. 

For me it has varied from advice of godly friends 

      to sermons that I heard 

          to reading Scripture. 

Each time, it was up to me to follow through on what God's leading was.

Like Joseph, I have always found God's leading to be the best move for me to take.

How has God led you?