Verse of the Day 2/6

Through the Bible - Leviticus 1 -3, Matthew 27
Good morning,
My mom used to, actually still does, love to work with kids. She used to lead kids in AWANA Clubs and Sunday School through a fun, action song, called the "Lion Hunt" which brought the kids on safari as it were. When they faced various obsticles the song went "can't go over it, can't go under it, can't go around it, gotta go through it".
For today's vesre we'll return to Matthew chapter 4 where Christ withstood the third temptation from Satan by quoting the Word of God.

Matt 4:10-11
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. NKJV

Satan had just offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" if he would bow down and worship him.
Jesus knew what He was going to have to go through. This would have been quite a shortcut.
Tabletalk magazine commented, "Satan presents Jesus with a prize - authority over all the kingdoms of the world (V.8,9). This rule is not sinful in itself since the Messiah is promised reign over the nations (Ps. 2:8). The problem is the means the devil offers. Worship a false god, the evil one himself, can bring the Son of David immediately to a position of authority in the world (v.9). Satan is tempting Jesus to take a shortcut and bypass the cross to receive the name by which every tongue on heaven and earth will bow (Phil. 2:5-11). John Calvin says this temptation is that "Christ should seek in another manner than from God, the inheritance that He promised His children".
That Jesus withstood this temptation is good news for us. Without the cross where we we be? Satan would have won.
Be careful of "shortcuts", even for "kingdom" things. Consider what the cost will be of the shortcut. Who will be affected in the long run?
Sometimes we still do wish for shortcuts through difficult times but as Christians we should still follow Christ as He leads us through.
Matthew Henry commented that " the best of saints may be tempted to the worst of sins". If Jesus was tempted we can be sure that we will too. But we too can stand in faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in His Word, and in prayer.
Put on the full armor of God. (Read Ephesians 6:10-18).
Notice what happened at the end of the passage, then the "angels came and ministered to Him."
In Christ,
Mike

Matt 4:1-12
Satan Tempts Jesus(Mark 1:12,13; Luke 4:1-13)
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
'He shall give His angels charge over you,'
and,
'In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
NKJV