Today's "thought" has
to do with temptation -- something every one of us is very familiar
with! In fact, it's something Jesus was very familiar with
as well, according to Hebrews 4:15. Yet, in this thought, taken from a
devotional book by Michael DiMarco called "Devotions
for the God Guy," (don't let the title mislead you, this one is
for guys and girls alike!) he looks at temptation in a slightly different way.
The more subtle ways that it works. The often overlooked ways. The ways
where temptation sometimes comes disguised as what we think is virtue.
Enjoy.
"The
Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted of the devil."
Matthew
4:1
"The
most obvious temptation is the temptation to do wrong things. But what
about the temptation to do good things for God? Have you ever been tempted to
be great in the eyes of God? Have you ever thought about how amazing it would
be to save the world with your gifts, or to become the best in some area of
ministry? This kind of temptation is tricky because it looks all noble
and good. But at the heart of it is a bit of pride, and that pride puts the
focus on you instead of God.
We've
got Christian "stars." Those people in the faith who've made it
big. They even have fan clubs. But that should never be your
goal. When it is, Satan uses your dream of fame to distract you and make
it all about you. After Jesus was baptized, immediately he went went out into
the desert to be tempted. Do you remember how he was tempted? He wasn't
just tempted to do wrong, but to do God-like things. Things that proved he was
who he said he was, like commanding the angels [to keep his foot from striking
a stone], or turning the rocks into bread (Matt. 4:1-11).
Maybe once you were saved you became tempted to do great things
too, so that you could prove yourself, get the glory, be successful, or have a
greater purpose. So don't look at temptation as just a chance to do bad things,
but look at your heart and make sure it doesn't want to be worshiped just a
little bit. Make sure it doesn't want glory or fame. Don't let it
lead you to try and take the attention away from Jesus. Everything you do
as a God Guy should be to bring glory to God and not yourself (Isaiah
42:8)."
These
are temptations to sin that we often overlook because they're masked under the
cloak of what could be seen as virtue in our society. We have celebrities
everywhere, why not in Christian circles? How could that be so wrong --
especially if it gets us followers who heed what we say about Jesus?
Sometimes we forget that with God it is not necessarily the things we do that
makes them sin, but the motive we do them for. After all, what's wrong with
wanting people to admire us, look up to us, and be our "fans"?
It
goes back to the admirable attitude exemplified by John the Baptist (which I
preached on this past Sunday): "He (Jesus) must increase, I
must decrease." Wrong motivations do motivate
us, for self-interest is a very powerful
motivator. But it is also the road that leads us to sin in a faith where
Jesus is to have the preeminence or supremacy (Colossians 1:15-20). A
faith where we are to see ourselves (regardless of the effort or endeavor) as "unworthy
servants" who have simply "done our
duty" (Luke 17:10). As Paul says of himself and Apollos
in I Corinthians 3:7 in regard to sharing the gospel and seeing people come to
faith: "So neither he who plants (Paul) nor he who waters
(Apollos) is anything, but only God who makes things grow." In
a culture which loves making idols out of people, we need to be careful we do
not see as good something that is actually a temptation to sin.
May
we ponder the words of Jesus more extensively when he says, "Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"-- especially
when the evil doesn't seem all that evil.
Only
By His Grace, Pastor Jeff
