Thought for June 24

History: 
  • 1441: Eton college founded
  • 1509; Henry VIII crowned king of England
  • 1535: Anabaptist commune of Munster captured and its leaders killed.
  • 1664: Colony of New Jersey founded
  • 1717: First Free Mason Grand Lodge founded—London
  • 1748: John and Charles Wesley open Kingswood School
  • 1853: Franklin Pierce signs Gadsden Purchase—Arizona and New Mexico
  • 1861: Tennessee is last state to secede
  • 1880: First performance of O Canada
  • 1902: George Dayton founds Goodfellow Dry Goods in Minneapolis—Target
  • 1922: American Professional Football Association renamed NFL
  • 1949: Hopalong Cassidy is the first network TV western
  • 1979: Ricky Henderson steals his first base
  • 2010: Longest tennis match—11 hours 5 minutes over 3 days—Isner defeats Mahut
  • 2018: Women drive for the first time in Saudi Arabia
  • 2021: Champlain Towers South collapses in Miami Beach—156 missing
  • Born: Henry Ward Beecher, GF Swift [meatpacker], Jack Dempsey, Chuck Taylor [shoes, dies the day after his birthday], Billy Casper, Michelle Lee [Love Bug], Mick Fleetwood, Nancy Allen, Juli Inkster, JJ Reddick, Lionel Messi, 
  • Died: Lucretia Borgia, Grover Cleveland, Jackie Gleason, Brian Keith, Eli Wallach, 

Thought:

 Looking this morning at the temptation of Jesus recorded in the three synoptic Gospels--Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13. We are familiar with these temptations--turn the stone into bread, throw yourself from the Temple, worship Satan and receive the world. Here is how these hit me today--now I admit that these temptations have hit me at different places at different times in my life. 

  • Bread: Jesus had fasted for 40 days, surely He was hungry. I have a hard time fasting from the midnight snack to the early breakfast. Look at what Satan says--If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread. Now Satan knew that Jesus was God, but here he tells Jesus to "prove it." As I write this, I think about all the times I have said this to Jesus--if you are real, do this for me. If you love me, give me what I think I want. We heard this from our children--if you loved me you would let me do what all the other kids are doing. I think I can get God to do what I want Him to do by saying, prove it. As with all the temptations, Jesus responds with scripture.
    • He could have said, I am the bread of life. 
    • He could have said, wait till the 5,000 are hungry and then see that I am God. 
    • But He said, I am sustained and nourished by the living word of God. I am carried by the word, lifted by the word--for this world shall pass away, but the word of God endures forever. I live on an eternal diet. 
    • Today, be sure and take your daily bread.
  • Jump from the Temple. Most scholars think this is a temptation to obtain honor and praise. But here, Satan quotes scripture, perhaps because Jesus responded to the first temptation with scripture. Jesus responds, don't test God. Here I think He means don't create tests and tell God to perform, for then God is acting at your command. In Malachi, God tell us to bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse and prove Him that He will open the storehouse of heaven. There we have an invitation from God to rely on His promises. 
  • Worship Satan. Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all the glory they have. There is a problem--Jesus made all those kingdoms--they were all made by Him and for Him. God has promised to put all them under His feet when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ to the glory of the Father. Satan is promising to give that which he does not own and cannot give. Sounds like every TV advertisement--want peace, buy our insurance, our security system. Want national peace, build the army and navy and stockpile the weapons. Want happiness--wear this dress, drive this car, take this vacation, join this club. And we fall for it every time. Jesus has the answer [always]--worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone. This is the secret to joy, peace and security. Later He will say, seek first My kingdom and all these things will be added. 
Today, Satan will come to us with the same temptations--the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. Answer as Jesus' answered--with the eternal Word of God. Satan has no answer for the Truth.
Blessings
Larry

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