Submitted by Sam Nobles
“Then
the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand 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 give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your
foot against a stone." Jesus
told him, ‘It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.’” (Matthew 4:5-7 HCSB)
Satan was abusing the promises
of God’s Word by using them as a rationalization for violating another aspect
of God’s word. Please know this: the promises of God’s protection are not a
“green light” for us to be reckless with how we live. It is not right for
Christian people to live their lives in an unguarded way, taking no
responsibility for their protection (Luke 22:35-38).
Likewise, the promises of
provision are not an excuse to be undisciplined and lazy in life. God expects
you to work, save, and give in order to provide for your family. Remember corn
in Canaan is better than manna in the desert (Joshua
5:12). A financial harvest is better than a miracle provision.
The Bible also says that if we are not willing to work we will not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:6-10). In fact, the
Biblical mandate for sharing and generosity is only found in the context of a
person that is willing to “do” something for themselves.
In the same way, the promises of
forgiveness are not a license to sin. To presumptuously sin against the grace
of God is one of the most heinous things the Bible speaks about. To pervert the
grace of God is to profane and trample underfoot the blood of the Son of God (Hebrews 10:26-31). It is a spit in the
face of God.
So, back to the point of this
devotional – how is jumping from pinnacle of the temple a temptation to Christ?
There’s a reason that Satan took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. It would be
proof to everyone in that crowded temple area that Jesus really is the Son of
God.
Jesus was very careful to not
let signs, wonders, and miracles not be the proving point of why people believe
on Him as Savior (Luke 4:33-35; John 6:14-15).
Many times in His ministry Jesus had a chance to perform on command a sign to
the religious elite so they would believe and validate is Messiah-ship, but He
refused them even on the Cross itself (Matthew 27:39-44).
The promises of God are not for
you to prove that God will do something in your life, but that God has already
done the entirety of what He needed to do by dying on the Cross.
Scripture to Claim:
“Jesus
said, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without
seeing are blessed.’” (John 20:29 HCSB)
