1.18.2009

The Temptation of Christ

<p>Most of the time, the temptation of Christ and his response is used to show why we need to memorize
the Bible. What I got from reading it tonight was a set of priorities that Christ had that we should have.
</p>
<p>When Christ was told to make the stones into bread, he was not tempted to do anything out rightly wrong. He would create food miraculously at other times in his ministry. He responded by saying that mankind doesn't live by food alone, but by God's word. I don't think he meant that we are to forsake food and simply study the Bible. Christ ate at other times. The point was that there is another aspect to our lives. Things that are amoral can affect our lives in moral ways. A food, music, or a person can all cause us to sin. We are to remember that we don't just live in this world, we live in a spiritual one too. Turning rocks into food wouldn't have just satiated Christ's hunger, it would have distracted him from fasting, what God had commanded.
</p>
<p>Christ was told to throw himself off a high building because angels would take care of him, and they would have, because Jesus is God. But we aren't to use God as a crutch. So many use Christianity because it benefits them. Others look at them highly. They think going to church will please God when they continue to live in sin. Tempting God is dangerous. We can't expect to think that we have any spiritual blessings when we do things out of duty, or just to get a blessing.
</p>
<p>He was also told he would be given control of all the world, if he would worship Satan. The devil could have given him that power. He was (and is) the prince and power of the air. But it is never a good idea to give up God for the things of this world. It is never worth it. Sin and all the pleasures that go with it are good for a season. But in the end, this world will pass away, but our treasures in heaven will never pass away.

No comments: