Thoughts From Luke - Day 14

                                               Luke 4:5-8
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”


       This temptation gives me much to ponder. First of all, is the Devil promising what he can't deliver on? If so, and many commentators have felt this way over the years, it should give us warning on the temptations we have in our lives. For example, guys get tempted to spend the money which God has entrusted us to manage for Him, on toys - bass boats, trucks, guns, golf clubs, 4 wheelers, etc., thinking that these will make them happy. When they get them it causes financial strain, marital strain, time away from the kids, and doesn't satisfy because soon we are looking for the next thing to purchase. Women want nesting stuff - new cabinets, new Kitchens, new bathroom, remodeled porch, whatever... The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, these are what the devil uses to suck us into going after the things that promise so much and look so good but don't deliver like a full on relationship with the Father does.

     Secondly, the devil wants us to look for short cuts. There is no short cut to wealth. I guess there is - inheritance, the lottery - but everything in life outside of those requires work. There is no short cut to Heaven. Jesus says later in Luke, "He who is not willing to give His whole life to me is not worthy to be my disciple." You can't just say the prayer and live any way you want to. Salvation is not a "get out of jail free" card. God wants your life. There are no short cuts in relationships - that's why "The Bachelor" seldom works. Relationships take work. Marriage takes work. Great kids don't just happen, it takes work. The Devil tells us the lie that we can have it all and we can have it now but that's a lie. In fact had Jesus done that and He could have it all instantaneously, Jesus would have had a huge price to pay to the Devil in the end. There are no short cuts. The very reason I am studying my bible and blogging before 7AM today is that I know to live the Christian life and grow in my relationship with God is a daily commitment. It takes work - gloriously fun and rewarding work - yet discipline and daily commitment nonetheless.

 Karen and I see lives, marriages, families falling apart all around us and we often wonder if they have bought into those lies of the Devil - going after things which don't deliver and thinking that there are short cuts to arriving where God wants you to be in life. Don't be part of the carnage - don't buy the Devil's lie.