October 12 ~ Matthew 4:5-11
Then Satan took him to Jerusalem to the roof of the Temple. “Jump off,”
he said, “and prove you are the Son of God; for the Scriptures declare,
‘God will send his angels to keep you from harm,’ . . . they will
prevent you from smashing on the rocks below.”
Jesus retorted, “It also says not to put the Lord your God to a foolish test!”
Next Satan took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him
the nations of the world and all their glory. “I’ll give it all to you,”
he said, “if you will only kneel and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “The Scriptures say, ‘Worship only the Lord God. Obey only him.’”
Then Satan went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale
House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc.,
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Let’s be honest…when you tell a child NOT to touch something, there’s
a 50/50 shot that he/she will do exactly that! I once teasingly asked a
friend, “Does your wife know you are at this party without her?” and he
replied (also in jest), “I’ve learned that it is easier to ask for
forgiveness than permission!” Isn’t this how we often act? We’ll just
tell this one juicy tidbit, and then we will promise God that we will
never gossip again. We’ll just “sow some wild oats now,” and we will be
really sorry for it later and ask God to forgive us. We will look out
for ourselves now - because nobody else is going to…and we will hope
that God sees that our “heart” was in the right place. We’ll just touch
the stove and SEE if it’s really hot!
It’s time to learn that when God essentially tells us that “the stove is
hot”…the STOVE IS HOT! When He shows us how to live and gives us clear
guidelines, and we go right ahead and do our own thing, we must be
prepared to live with the consequences. We cannot assume that God will
always bail us out when we make stupid mistakes – or disobey and
disappoint Him.
We also cannot play fast and loose with our allegiance. I am here to
tell you, not a single one of us knows how long we have on this earth.
We have a LOT to do while we are here, and we had best be busy getting
it done! There is no time to listen to people who tell us that THEY
know better than God. There is not a minute to waste on selfish
agendas. There will be times when we have to sacrifice our own desires
for the greater good of others…and when we do this, God will bless our
efforts.
Here’s an example…my Mam-ma Polly had such a meager income that you
would not believe she could actually make it through each month. Yet she
was always ready to give to others…food from her table…a tithe to her
church…”shoe boxes” for needy children at Christmas…and so much more.
She always had a few dollars in her checking account at the end of the
month. She never missed a meal, and her home was cozy and comfortable.
All of her needs were met…and then some.
GOD made the difference and blessed my grandmother’s faithful obedience.
And He will do this for us, too. There will be times when the road
seems uncomfortable and/or uncertain. But when we keep our focus on
Him…when we worship only God and obey His commands and the teachings of
His only Son, Jesus Christ…nothing the devil offers can compare with
what we have been promised.
The devil is ALWAYS tempting us. Where and how is he tempting you? How
are you reacting and responding? Have you kicked him to the curb and
trusted God to make the difference…or are you hedging your bets that you
have time to show remorse and ask forgiveness later? Will this be the
day that you trust God fully and let His angels attend to your every
need? Don’t you think it should be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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