Day Two: Luke 4:1-13 Then Jesus returned from the Jordan, full of the Holy
Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted
by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, He was
hungry. The Devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to
become bread.” But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on
bread alone.” So he took Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in
a moment of time. The Devil said to Him, “I will give You their splendor and
all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want. If You, then, will worship me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus
answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”
So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and
said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it
is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you, and
they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.” And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord
your God.” After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him
for a time.
HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN SOMEONE who does everything well? There
always seem to be one or two of them around us. These are the people who could dribble better, tackle
harder, and run faster.
They always made great grades, remembered everything, and studied less than
everyone else.
You know these types.
They just seem to be one notch ahead of everyone else. Usually these people are not the objects
of our affections.
It isn’t that they are good at things; it is usually their attitude about it
that we dislike. If only their success in life was reflected in their attitude. In many ways, Jesus is just like these
people.
He is far superior in all His ways. Successful where we have failed. Victorious where we have lost. However, with Jesus, rather than
responding with envy and jealously, we can respond with worship and adoration. His victories secure our victory. His successes become our successes,
and erase our failures.
It is amazing to think about the
sinlessness of Jesus.
Because we are painfully aware of our sinfulness and imperfections, it gives us
some insight into the magnificence of Jesus’ perfection. Take a moment to take in this idea: in
every way that we are tempted, Jesus was tempted, yet he never sinned (Heb.4:15).He never once failed to obey His Father at every point of
the Law.
What an amazing Savior we have!
PAUSE AND REFLECT
▷▷What does it mean to you that Christ’s success and victories
can be shared by you?
▷▷If He was able to resist Satan’s traps and temptations, and He
is empowering you, do you have to give in to sin?
▷▷What is one area of your life you are
desperate for a victory today? Spend some time in prayer asking for God’s help.
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