Verse of the Day 3/25

Through the Bible - Joshua 15-17, Luke 5:27-39

 

Good morning,

We are often anxious and impatient regarding the next chapter in our life.  It may be the next career move, the next school, place to live or even a ministry.  The devil knows this and plays upon this.  He will often offer things that sound good to us, things that "tickle our fancy", but are not the best for us.  Most often what they end up being are lies.

 

Luke chapter 4 begins with Luke's account of Satan's temptation of Jesus.  Satan speaks deception and lies.  The things he offers, Jesus already has and will have in remaining obedient to the Father.  In today's verses we see this "flash".

 

Luke 4:5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them," the devil said, "because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me."    NLT

All too often he gives us a flash of personal glory but does not give the complete picture.  The opportunity for a high profile career position may be shown to us but never the implications that such a move would have upon family and our personal relationships as well as to God.

 

John MacArthur writes, "The enemy approaches Christians also with corrupt bargaining chips.  Whatever they might want in the realm of business, politics, fame, or anything else, he claims it can be theirs for a "reasonable" price or trade off.  He says we can be or have whatever we want, just so long as we pursue it  according to the world's way.  In effect, it's like saying to ourselves, "why wait for a heavenly reward when you can cut corners, shade the truth, run ahead of God's schedule, and have what you want now."

 

When you take a look at what is going on in the economy and what has happened in the banking industry, how much of it do you think is a result of this kind of thinking.  How many "trade offs" were negotiated for personal gain that came at a high price to others?

 

Going back to yesterday's devotional regarding what it means to believe, to put your full weight on God, the following verses from Proverbs come to mind

Prov 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.    NKJV

Don't lean, put your full weight on your own understanding, instead lean on God and He will direct you in the path, the spiritual, and the career path that you should take.

 

In Christ,

Mike

 

Luke 4:1-14

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

3 Then the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread."

4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"

5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them," the devil said, "because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me."

8 Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say,

'You must worship the LORD your God
and serve only him.'"

9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,

'He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"

12 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"

13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.  NLT