Feb12 Written by:Graydog
12/02/2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
First Sunday of Lent
Matthew 4:1-11
Such a famous bit of scripture: Jesus and the devil goin' at it in the desert. There are so many things in here, it's unreal! I'll pick on a couple. The first is short and sweet. Be careful about proof-texting something. That means when you use a Bible quote to back up your opinion or wants. Just because you can do it, doesn't necessarily mean it's right! Obviously, the devil knows scripture quite well, but he was misusing it. Yes, even the devil quotes scripture! May we quote it properly as the Word himself, Jesus, does. The second is a bit longer. Many folks look at this situation and say, "Well, of course Jesus didn't give in to the temptation. He is God!" This gives us the impression that we are doomed to failure because we are not God. Well, that's not true, in that we are also told elsewhere in scripture that we are never tried beyond our strength. Now, I can honestly say that whenever I consciously get in line with the Holy Spirit in any situation of temptation, that I will not fall. However, I can fall out of line within a few seconds also, so I have to really be careful about it, especially in my weaker points of life. Temptation is not a sin. Giving in to that temptation (if it is a sin type temptation) would be a sin, though. If we would do the three things that Jesus quotes in His answers, then temptation would be so easy to deal with in life: 1) rely on God, not material goods, 2) don't test God, and 3) put God first in your life, period. And so we still struggle, and Jesus stays with us in the struggle. Thank God, because I'm not perfect... yet!
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