Month: August 2024

Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness

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We cannot see God, but we know he is always near us. He helps us and takes care of us. He always wants us to do the right things so we will be happy. He wants us to come live with him when we die.

We cannot see Satan, but he is alive too. He is very bad. He tries to get us to do bad things. He does not want us to go to heaven when we die. Heaven is a happy place where God lives. Satan wants us to go to a bad place called hell. No one is ever happy in hell because God is never there.

Temptation:

Sometimes we want to do the wrong thing. Wanting to do the wrong thing is called “temptation.”

Sometimes we know to do something good, but we want to just forget about it and not do it. When we feel like not doing something that we know is good that is also temptation.

Temptation is when bad and wrong things look really good to us. Satan tempts us. He hates it when we are good, so he tries to make bad things seem good to us. Sometimes he makes them look so good that we forget what God says and just do the bad thing.

After Jesus was baptized, he went away to the desert to be alone. He decided that he wanted to pray and think about God for 40 days. Jesus did not want to be distracted by anything, so he fasted.

To fast means to not eat so that even our bodies make us think about God every time we feel hungry. Jesus fasted and did not eat for 40 days when he was in the desert.

Satan did not like it because Jesus only thought about God. Satan hated it that Jesus was so good all the time. He decided to tempt Jesus and try to make him do bad things. Satan came to Jesus and tempted him in three ways.

Temptation 1: Satan knew Jesus was really hungry, so he tempted Jesus to use his powers in a selfish way all for himself. Satan said, “If you are really the Son of God then use your special powers to turn these stones into bread.”

Jesus was hungry but he knew that God wanted him to only use his special powers to help people. His power was not just for feeding himself! Jesus wanted to do the right thing. He knew the best way to answer Satan was to use God’s words. Jesus had memorized a lot of scriptures, so he knew exactly which scripture to say to Satan. He said this verse from the Bible, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Temptation 2: Next, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem to the temple. Both Jesus and Satan knew that the temple was a special place to God.

They stood at the highest point of the temple. Satan wanted to get Jesus to doubt God’s power. He told Jesus that he should give God a test to see if his power worked. Satan told Jesus to jump off the temple and see if God’s angels would catch him.

But Jesus did not need to give God a test. Jesus already knew that God’s power was stronger than anything in the world. Jesus told Satan another Scripture from God’s word. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Temptation 3: You would think that Satan would have learned his lesson, but he REALLY wanted Jesus to mess up. Maybe Satan thought, “If only I can get Jesus to do things MY way, then I will be more important to him than God is.”

So, Satan had one more thing he could do to tempt Jesus. Maybe this time he could get Jesus to sin. Satan took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. They could see the whole world from the top of the mountain.

So, Satan said, “You say you love all the people of the world. You say you want them to go to heaven. How about a deal? I will help all the people of the world go to heaven if you will just do one simple thing. All you have to do is to bow down and worship me instead of God.”

Do you think Jesus gave in to this temptation? No! Jesus had had enough. He told Satan to go away. Of course he would never worship Satan! Jesus loved God. He would only worship God. Jesus quoted from the Old Testament one more time, “Worship the Lord you God, and serve him only.”

Then Satan left Jesus. Angels came and helped take care of Jesus after that.

Do you think Satan gave up trying to tempt Jesus? No, he did not give up. Over the next 3 years Satan tried again and again to tempt Jesus but Jesus never did wrong.

God understands that temptation is very difficult. It was even hard for Jesus.

Sometimes we are tempted to do the wrong thing too. God understands Satan’s sneaky tricks and he can help us say “no” to temptation. We need to remember God’s true words just like Jesus did.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 4:1-11

1 Corinthians 14:34-40

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34-36 Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you—both women and men—imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?

37-38 If any one of you thinks God has something for you to say or has inspired you to do something, pay close attention to what I have written. This is the way the Master wants it. If you won’t play by these rules, God can’t use you. Sorry.

39-40 Three things, then, to sum this up: When you speak forth God’s truth, speak your heart out. Don’t tell people how they should or shouldn’t pray when they’re praying in tongues that you don’t understand. Be courteous and considerate in everything.

Figuring out the Things of Life

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Essay by Dan

It was my observation while reading Matthew chapter 5, Jesus shares a series of life guidelines with us. When he saw the huge crowds, he climbed up on a hillside to gain respite. Once he found a suitable place for a rest, he sat down and instructed his friends. He provided them with a roadmap, a path forward on how to live life to its fullest — honoring the things of God, walking with God, worshiping God. This is what I gleaned from the quiet affirmations of Jesus.

When you find yourself at the end of your rope, be content, God is in control. With less of you forcing solutions into play, there is more space for God and his influence over your daily actions. If you feel you have lost something, remember you are giving space for God’s influence. Spend time thinking about who you are, reach the point where you are at peace rather than striving for position. Life is easier when you are content with yourself — no more, no less — just acceptance. (Implied in Matthew 5:3-5)

Look hard in scripture for the truth, lean into the word, develop a strong appetite for the things of God. Accept the bread of Life, reach out to others, allow God to develop a caring attitude within you, give yourself to others. But start this journey by getting your inside world—your mind and heart—in the right place. To figure out life, look for God. Avoid being part of the problem, you become part of the solution when you can show people how to cooperate instead of competing or fighting. That is when you discover God’s purpose, you find your place in God’s family. Find God’s peace. It is close by. Find your place of rest. It is close by… (implied in Matthew 5:6-8)

In the life of every peacemaker who is committed to God comes trouble and persecution. Let this adversity drive you deep into rather than away from God’s kingdom — the truth is too close for their comfort, and they are uncomfortable. Love the truth. Your friends will always encounter speed bumps (persecution), do not despair, step over the speed bump, help others do the same, these things will pass. At this juncture in your life, it should be clear why we are here on earth. We are alive in this moment to be the salt that points to God’s message. Stay the course. (implied in Matthew 5:9-12)

Most young children have heard the lyric – This little light of mine, I’m gonna to let it shine. Jesus tells us You are here to be light; this light will bring out God’s brilliant Kodachrome message for all the world to hear. This is not a private conversation or message to hide on our bookshelves. The message is to be delivered in every nook and cranny – your life should be the city on a hill, the City of God. This message is Truth. If we hide the message in a building, the oxygen quickly disappears and the message fades. Get the message out of the building, give the message oxygen. Give the message a chance to grow. Be generous with your life, be accessible, be approachable, take the first step. When we open up to others, we show people how to open up with God. God’s Word is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Word will be alive helping people to figure out life. (implied in Matthew 5: 13-16)

The deeper truth – If you trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Word, you will only have trivialized yourself. Take the message seriously, walk with God, love the people around you, then you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do better than the Pharisees when yielding to God, you will not know the first thing about living life to the fullest (implied in Matthew 5:17-20).

I choose Jesus.

Our Best Friend

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Essay by Dan

It has been my observation that 1 Thessalonians provides us with an interesting call to unconditional love and prayer for the people who surround us and the people we meet every day. Read this slowly and note the message from Paul — Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18).

Rejoice always, not sometimes, not just when it feels good, but rejoice always. This is not the normal emotional response we usually postulate and execute when being mistreated. You might be wronged; you might be spurned; you might be in jail for a false charge. Yet, Paul says Rejoice!

And then comes the direction to ‘Pray continually’. About what? We are told to give thanks in all circumstances. for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Our directive is clear. We should do the right thing for everyone; even when you are not treated fairly. Huh? Find the joy you are looking for in your walk with Jesus, overlook the way you are being treated. Let God do his thing in you. Pray without ceasing. Diligently keep a continual disposition of thankfulness to God. We will have no time to be grumpy if we are continually praising and rejoicing with the Boss of all Bosses.

To ‘pray continually’ brings a sense of dependence upon God. Even when we are not articulating words (the Spirit is busy praying our thoughts) we know we are connected, he is listening, we are spilling out our heart, he is listening, even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding dependence on him in our message that represents the essence of our faith. I think – this gets at one of the core elements of a vibrant Walk with God. We are connected to Jesus by constantly communicating our feelings and observations. Any observation, we see it, we talk, we listen, we talk, unfiltered, clear, honest. Listen, talk. For me – this is an essential approach to stay out of harm’s way.

But please understand — we are better off if we do not always view prayer as a ‘jukebox’. What I mean by ‘jukebox’ is — we form a prayer request — we pray — and God plays exactly the song we asked for. Huh?  I think the reason we pray is to be sure he puts us in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. We pray to be connected, corrected, encouraged, and directed. We pray for others with the same reasons — that they be connected, corrected, encouraged, and directed. We pray to become part of the solution (God’s solution) not part of the problem (our problem or somebody else’s problem).

When you move this way, the outcome becomes less important than a willing contrite heart. Never doubt that he is in control. Prayer is God’s way of bringing us to the right mindset. Never give up looking to him — wanting to be part of His solution. Come to him repeatedly during the day. Make your state of mind a ‘God focused attitude of gratitude.’  Make yourself available, willing to be directed, willing to be a part of God’s plan. Let God fill in the details. Leave the strategic planning to God, he is better at it than we are. People who function this way are in prayer do not need to set times for prayer. They just start talking in the morning when they get out of bed. Observing, thinking, listening, and talking. Reading scripture, more thinking, listening, and talking. This is not formal communication. This is inviting God into our self-talk, our internal thoughts, our inner sanctum. Let him be God!

The deeper truth — I hope you consider praying without ceasing for prolonged periods of time each day. If you find yourself with a little mental dead space – talk to God. Paul suggests we can enjoy continual communion with God (I Thessalonians 5:15-18). I think, after months of steady listening and talking with God, He will become our best friend.

I choose Jesus.

Jesus, My Strength, My Hope

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Jesus, my strength, my hope,
On thee I cast my care,
With humble confidence look up,
And know thou hearest prayer.
Give me on thee to wait,
Till I can all things do,
On thee, almighty to create,
Almighty to renew.I want a sober mind,
A self-renouncing will,
That tramples down and casts behind
The baits of pleasing ill;
A soul inured to pain,
To hardship, grief and loss,
Bold to take up, firm to sustain,
The consecrated cross.I want a godly fear,
A quick-discerning eye,
That looks to thee when sin is near,
And sees the tempter fly;
A spirit still prepared
And armed with jealous care,
For ever standing on its guard,
And watching unto prayer.I rest upon thy word;
The promise is for me;
My succour and salvation, Lord,
Shall surely come from thee.
But let me still abide,
Nor from my hope remove,
Till thou my patient spirit guide
Into thy perfect love.
  —Charles Wesley (1707-1788)