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Just How Good are You?

By: Ray Larson

Posted: February 3, 2015

Category: Daily Devotional

“Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him.” Matthew 4. 1 ceb

You know, as we all have learned, that you really can’t know how good you are until you have been tested. This system of testing is used by every teacher who has ever taught. Surprisingly, many students like to be tested because it’s the best means of determining just how well they are learning what they are suppose to be learning.

Reading our text in Matthew we find this story of Jesus being tested right after his baptism by John. Matthew wrote that “A voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son. . .with whom I am well please.’” (Matthew 3:17). To help us in our understanding of Jesus temptations, there is a strong association of Jesus being tempted 40 days and 40 nights with Israel’s forty-year wilderness sojourn and all that they went through trying to follow and obey God thru Moses. Even more in this story of temptation every response Jesus makes to the Devil’s temptations comes from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13.

You and I realize that our temptations are not the same as Jesus faced out in the wilderness, but we all face our own temptations in our struggle of being faithful to God and to all who are important to us. Scripture tells us that God has made us in His image, and gave us the greatest gift of all, a free-will! Given a mind and the ability to think and decide for ourselves, puts every one of us accountable for the decisions we make. We can’t say, “The Devil made me do it”, because only you and I who are responsible for what we do in our relationships with God and all others who share life with us.

Prayer

O Lord God, our Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving not only life but also loved ones and friends we share this life with. Father, may I pass whatever test I face as I live in Your love and grace. In the Love of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.