WWJD?

We live in a world that is always changing.    Our world is seductive and crazy – it’s tough to stay grounded in our anchor points.  Everywhere you look – possible temptations exist.  1 Peter 5:8 says that Satan is on the prowl.  We can’t possibly withstand the advances of evil on our own.  We need Jesus.

But, what would Jesus do…about temptation?  Matthew 4:1-11 shows us.

1.  At some time in our lives, every one of us has been tempted to do something which we have reservations about, something which doesn’t seem quite right, and every one of us has found it very hard to

 resist doing it.  Believe me, Jesus knew that situation very well – we only have to look at what happened in the desert to see that Jesus can sympathize with us:  no sooner was Jesus baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River than he was led by the Spirit into the desert, where he was tempted by the Devil.  His experience will help us to know what to do when we are tempted.  Jesus knew he would face temptation and was prepared for it.

When the Devil visits Jesus, he is not surprised.  In fact, he answers the Devil without hesitation.  This suggests he was prepared – he knew he would be tempted!  It’s not wrong to be tempted – even Jesus was tempted.  It’s wrong to give in to the temptation.  So, be ready to be tempted, and be ready to resist!

How should we prepare for it?  How can we be ready to resist temptation when it comes?  When the Devil begins to tempt Jesus, He immediately answers with a verse from Scripture.  Jesus knows God’s word – it gives him help to resist temptation.  So, read your Bible, and even memorize important verses.  If we know without a doubt what God says about something, then we will find it easier to resist temptation when we face it.  The Bible has a lot to say about all sorts of 21st Century issues, if we will just read it.  But it’s more than merely reading the Bible, it’s about enjoying a close relationship with God.  Christians also feel better able to resist temptation when they pray.  So let us draw close to God, just as Jesus was.  Jesus would not let himself be pressured into giving into temptation.

  

2.  The Devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”; and “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”  The Devil dares Jesus to do something, in order to prove that He is truly the Son of God.  Sometimes we can find ourselves being dared by others to do things which we know are wrong:  “Prove you’re not scared by stealing something from the store”; “If you really want to be my friend, you’ll come to the bar with me.”  Jesus didn’t let the Devil bully or blackmail him into doing things that he knew to be wrong.  He knew He didn’t have to prove anything to the Devil, but He did know He should do what God wanted.  It’s the same for us.  We have nothing to prove to those who tempt us to do wrong. Our responsibility is to do the right thing for God.  Jesus refused to take the easy way out.

3.  Jesus had been sent on a mission by His Father.  It would mean that every human being would have the opportunity to be restored to God, but it would also mean that He would have to die on a wooden cross. The Devil offered Him an easy way out:  worship him, instead of God, and be given authority over all nations of the world.  What a temptation that must have been – no ridicule and rejection by his fellow human beings. Also, no suffering and death on the cross.  It could have all been avoided by simply saying “yes” to the Devil in the desert.  But it would have meant that His mission to save us had failed.  God’s way is not always the easiest way, but it is always the right way.

So, next time you’re really tempted to do something you think is probably wrong, remember what Jesus would do:
1) Jesus would think about what the Bible said about it, and then act accordingly
2) Jesus would do what God wanted, not what anyone else dared him to do
3) Jesus would do the right thing, even if it was not the easiest thing

Father, thank you for the example of Jesus.  Help us to remember Him when we are faced with temptation.  Deliver us from the Evil One.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.

Casey Dacus
Graham, Texas