I Was Tempted in the Wilderness

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

October 19, 2012    I Was Tempted in the Wilderness

Page 45-46   Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1b-13

The evil one does not tempt us with overt evil. Jesus was not tempted to kill, steal or destroy people; he was tempted to prove he was God’s Messiah. The people were poor and hungry. After fasting for forty days, wouldn’t it have been a good thing for Jesus to turn the stones into bread and feed himself as well as feed the people? The alternative ways to fulfill his role of Messiah offered by the evil one were essentially shortcuts that avoided suffering or crucifixion for the Messiah.

Interestingly, when Jesus was in the wilderness, he experienced the same temptations, in the same sequence, as did the people of Israel when they entered into the wilderness after escaping from Egypt. Jesus was tempted regarding hunger, testing God and false worship. Unlike Israel, Jesus was faithful. (See Exodus 16, 17 and 19-32)

We are called to be a part of God’s people, to do God’s work in the world. We will face the same temptations as did Israel and Jesus when they were in the wilderness. At their core, these temptations are not about things we really want to do, but know we should not. They are temptations to be someone other than the person God calls us to be. These are temptations to deny we are a child of God. We all will be tempted to take short cuts which, if taken, will compromise our Christian integrity. However, Jesus has shown us the way to respond to temptation. No dilly dallying, no debate, just immediate responses using the Word of God as our authority. Since the Reformation, Protestant churches have maintained that the Bible is our sufficient guide for faith and practice.

I want to live my life by trusting in Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. Every day I am tempted to deny my life in Christ and trust in something else to meet my needs. Like Jesus, I can resist these temptations by turning to scripture and affirming that I am a child of God. So can you. If the scriptures were sufficient for Jesus, so shall they be for his followers.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

October 22, 2012    My Cousin John's Testimony Concerning Me    Page 49          John 1:15, 19-34