Verse of the Day 1//4

Verse of the Day 1/4

Matthew 4:4  But he answered, "It is written,

"'Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"    English Standard Version (ESV)

If you have begun following a read through the Bible plan as part of a new year's resolution, there is a high probability that you may have read today's verse and passage in your reading.  Matthew 4 begins with the account of Satan's temptation of Jesus after his time of fasting in the desert.  You'll notice that he tempts Jesus when He would be physically at his weakest.  Jesus' response to Satan goes back to the book of Deuteronomy 8 where the words were given to the Israelite's after they fled from Pharaoh in Egypt and were being prepared for their journey through the wilderness.

We should notice in looking back to Deuteronomy that God allowed Israel to hunger that ultimately He would feed them with manna day by day, learning to depend upon Him, on His Word and to do His will.

What caused you to hunger for God's Word?  If we follow the theme in these verses, we will see that for us it may have been any number of circumstances, but "underneath" it is that God allowed us to hunger that He might lead us.

From The Message (below) we read the following from today's verse ""It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."  May we realize that we need more than physical food to stay alive, to live a life for God, we need that "steady stream of words from God's mouth".

You may hit some "dry patches"; but push through and when you are tempted may you follow Jesus lead and quote from the scriptures that we have learned, memorized and taken to heart.
 "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."  Matthew 4:10 The Message.

If you are reading through the New Testament you will soon be reading "The Sermon on the Mount" in chapters 5 through 7, the best sermon ever given.  May we read, hear the message and follow His words.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Matthew 4 The Message (MSG)

The Test

4 ^1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

⁴ Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."

^5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

⁷ Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."

^8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

¹⁰ Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

¹¹ The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.