Don't Jump!

Daily Reading: Matthew 4

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. (Matthew 4.7)

Devotional Thought: Martin Luther once said, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”

In his temptation of Jesus, Satan set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4.5-6).  Satan was enticing Jesus to do something sensational to gain the attention of the crowds.  It was, simply, a shortcut to success.

Jesus said to Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4.7).  Jesus knew that he could indeed throw himself down from the temple.  But, to what end?   He refused to put God to the test.  He knew that God had a plan for him and that there was a right way to pursue that plan.  He also knew that his life would become an example for all of us.  He didn't want his followers trying crazy stunts themselves!

In this incident, Jesus teaches us "Don't jump!"

·       Don’t succumb to the allure of fame and notoriety.  God has a plan.  Stick with it.

·       When waiting for the fulfillment of the divine plan, don’t try to force God’s hand by doing something foolish.

·       In the long run, simple, victorious living is a greater testimony than flashy sensationalism.

·       Finally, don’t try the patience of God by yielding to temptation.

One last piece of advice from this story: No jumping from church steeples!

Prayer: Thank you, O Lord, for your wisdom and your faithfulness.  When shortcuts entice me to stray from your plan, help me to say no to temptation and yes to you.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 88.6-12

6 You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah. 8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah. 11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?