Sunday, January 29, 2012

Tempt!

Nikon Sniper
I'm in awe of how God works in our lives IF we will let him. Everyday this past week I have had one of those... DUDE! You are so on it! The funny thing is He has always been on it, I'm the one that's catching on!


Been spending time thinking about Jesus' baptism and temptations this week. Sister Rachel told us that temptations reveal our identity. They tell us who we are, who we can become and who we mistaking can be. I've had to think about that, walk away from it for a while, then come back to it later, cuz it's a lot to think about. I'm going to jot down some of the things that were covered, to give you something to think about.


Jesus does not run from temptation. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit that leads him into the desert to face these demons.


Jesus fasts first. He wants to be lean, prepared, alert, and hungry.


Jesus is facing his identity. The temptations are all about how he is who he is.


Jesus is confronting temptations to use his personal power for himself, rather than for others.


We are all tempted! It's almost like life is a testing ground for each of us. The crazy thing is when you get through one test and you learn the lesson, if you don't stay humble, you'll get to do it again. How many times have you had to go through the same test? Overindulgence is an easy example I can use here. Just think about it in your life for a minute. Are you captain of it yet? It doesn't just have to be food, it can be anything that you take in too much of, even dieting and exercise. So much so that it starts to become an idol. It takes the place of God. It's something that reels it's ugly head when we start to get proud of what we've done huh?


Jesus came down here to save us. Totally divine and totally human, something we have a hard time getting our heads around sometime. But he emptied himself of everything, to be one of us, to be tempted just like we are so he could know how it is for us. We can never say, But you don't know how it feels to be ________!! Just fill in the blank. Yes he does! He was tempted, just like us, to be disobedient, to do it his way... and he didn't do it. It blows my mind to think that even if I was the only one, he would have hung on that cross for me! Even me!!   



   

2 comments:

Preacher man said...

preach it, wife of preacher

Anonymous said...

Hi Kimberly,
You are so right.
Hidden in afliction is the answer. In our struggle with temptations, we must face the nature of our weakness and surrender to God for guidance in accepting, understanding and letting them go.
It is in the battle of redemption that we find the answer; God.
God Bless You
Geoff