Temptations

From today's reading:  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came. . .  Matthew 4:1-3 

Jesus is lead out in the wilderness. . .  I'm not sure why we think that we can live our lives without temptation.  Satan comes at the lowest point in our lives - that time when we are the weakest - and his offers are oh, so attractive.  The truth is that temptation is a part of life.  It's going to happen - now how we respond to it is a different matter.  

The first temptation in Matthew is to use his power to satisfy the desires of the flesh - Jesus is hungry - turn these stones into bread so that you might eat and satisfy this need for food.  It is about using the power and skills God gives us for our own benefit rather than for the purpose God intended. 

The second temptation is a desire to control - to attempt to control God - bending God to do your will.  Some people think that's what prayer is for - to get God to do what you want him to do.  That's a common one for us - 'God, take care of this person. . . or God, take care of that situation.'  Too often people approach God with an arrogance - if I want it, God's got to do it.  That is a result of misreading or prooftexting scripture.  They forget the temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus says, 'yet not my will, but yours be done.' 

The third temptation is to gain power and wealth through ungodly means - all these will be your, if you bow down and worship me. . .  It is asking the question, 'will we use any and all means available to get what we want.'  For a lot of people in the world today, the answer is yes - they don't seem to mind stepping on people and destroying others to get what they want.

Most loving God, when I am faced with the daily temptations that come my way, let me remember that your love will be with me and sustain me and you will be my help in resisting those temptations.  Amen.