Verses: Matthew 4:1-11
My thoughts about the
verses:
We often think if we
follow God fully with our heart we can avoid the temptations of life. We walk with an air of confidence believing
that we can overcome anything that comes in our path. We feel that God will keep us safe. We believe that we will not succumb to the temptations
that come into our life.
We need to look at this
story and realize just how much we are tempted daily. Jesus was given three opportunities to turn
away from God. He was tempted in ways
that none of us could ever imagine. What
would you have done if you were told that you would be given the authority over
the whole world if you would just deny God as your redeemer?
We are tempted on a
daily basis. We have things that come in
our life that tempt us to walk away from the path God has chosen for us. We often are so blinded by the temptations
that we do not even realize they are temptations. We may have people or institutions that we
trust that are actually leading us down a path away from God.
Think of the thing that
you most want to do. Is this something
that God wants you to do or is it something that would lead you away from
God. There are so many stories in the
Bible that show us how people are tempted.
Think back to Samson and
his love for Delilah. He is distracted
by her beauty and his emotions that he misses what is right in front of him. Delilah has been bribed to find out what
Samson has that gives him his amazing strength. In a night of passion he tells Delilah that he
can never cut his hair. It isn’t the
hair that is important it is the fact that if he does cut his hair he has disobeyed
God. He gave his secret just because of
the love of someone other than God. He
had been tempted by Delilah and gives in.
Yet, the story doesn’t end there.
He realizes that he has strayed from God and asks for forgiveness. God gives that forgiveness to Samson. When he is being put on display he asks God
to use him and he is given the strength to knock down the temple and kill many Philistines.
Now let us go back and
look at the story of Jesus. Satan is in
his face tempting him. Jesus has been
fasting for forty days. He hasn’t eaten
or drank during this time. He is
wandering in the wilderness just like the Israelites had done as they left
Egypt. The difference is the way he
handles the temptations that are put in front of him as stumbling blocks.
The Israelites gave into
temptation and turned away from God. They
actually made an idol to worship. Yet,
Jesus did not do the same thing. Jesus
even though tempted by Satan to worship him instead of God does not
stumble. In fact, he tells Satan on the
third major temptation that we should not worship anyone except God. Satan knows that he has failed. Jesus cannot be tempted like we are.
We can learn to overcome
temptations that are major stumbling blocks in our life. For example if you have troubles with alcohol
do not go around alcohol. If your
stumbling block is gambling don’t go where you will be tempted. If you know hanging out with a certain group of
people will tempt you then choose not to hang out with them. These are steps that you can take on a
physical level.
Yet, you also need to
prepare yourself spiritually. To do this
spend time reading the Bible. You need
to spend time with others that are Christians.
Take time to commune with God each and every day. When you feel that you are being tempted turn
your eyes back on God. When you walk
closer to God you will see that you have the strength to overcome
temptations.
The most important thing
to remember is if you are tempted and you do go astray do not beat yourself
up. God knows that we will all stumble
along the way. None of us are able to
face temptation and always walk away from it.
We need to acknowledge that we have stumbled and ask God to forgive us
for what we have done.
Look at the last part of
this story and the many others where people were tempted by Satan. God forgave them as soon as they realized
their error. Jesus, though he did not
fall to temptation, was taken care of by the very Angels of God to help him
regain his strength. Samson was given the
strength to strike back at the Philistines.
God forgives those that have accepted Jesus in their lives. Acknowledge what you have done and ask God
for the strength not to stumble again.
Yet, always remember if you have Jesus as your Savior you will always be
forgiven by God when you ask for that forgiveness.
Once we accept Jesus in
our life we have all our sins covered. This
doesn’t mean that we should go out and do whatever we want. It means that when we stumble the blood of
Jesus covers those sins. We should do
our best to always walk in the path that God has for us. When you stumble do not fear that God will abandon
you. When you ask for forgiveness God
will lead you back to where you need to be.
God will use you to accomplish things you thought were impossible. Keep your eyes on God and be prepared for the
good that God has for your life.
Prayer:
Dear God we love
you. We praise you for your
strength. We thank you for your
forgiveness. We ask that you help us
keep away from things that cause us to stumble.
We thank you for being there even when we go astray. Guide us each and every day along the path
that you have for us. In the name of the
Risen Savior we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accepted Jesus in your life? Are you living the life God wants for
you? Have you stumbled and fallen into temptation? Do you need to ask God for forgiveness? Do you need to give up something that might
keep you from following God?
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