[Monday's Devotional] Temptation

Oscar Wilde famously said "I can resist everything except temptation".  One thing is sure, we all face temptation of one kind or another every day.  In today's passage from Luke Chapter 4 we see how Jesus dealt with temptation by Satan at a time when he was physically weak and hungry from 40 days of fasting:

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 
The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'"

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  If you worship me, it will all be yours."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.  For it is written:   "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4: 1-13 [NIV]

There are some practical things we can learn from the way in which Jesus and Satan interacted:

·      Satan tempts you at a time when you are weak – Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days.  In the same way we are often tempted when we are at a low ebb.  Be on your guard and don't be dismayed by the lies of Satan.

·      Satan tempts you with immediate "rewards" – Jesus recognized the long-term consequences of the actions he was tempted to take.  Think long-term about the benefits of obedience and the consequences of disobedience

·      Satan quotes scripture – but he is likely to take it out of context.  In the temptation of Adam and Eve he twisted God's words – in the temptation of the Second Adam (Jesus) he quotes scripture inappropriately.

Lord, help us to hold onto the truth in the face of temptation by Satan.  Amen.

Dave MacLellan

Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 7:21-27, Numbers 11:24-13:33, Luke 3:23-4:13