The First Letters In Red
Part 4 “What is it?”
The three temptations, tests or trials of Jesus in the wilderness deal in a figurative way with three categories or dimensions of life. They can be viewed as allegories for living, a hierarchy of needs or priorities that help guide us in what is important.
The first temptation is an allegory of the body, the physical. In “hunger,” we find all the things our bodies need, the physical things of life. Hunger can be put for the rent or mortgage that is due, food on the table, clothes on your back and the gas in your car, the bank account balance or the roof over our head. It is a metaphor for all the things we “hunger” for in this life.
Lu 4:3-4 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
The “bread” Jesus refers to is manna, the bread that fell from heaven. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8, Moses’ summary of the events in Exodus 16. Only 45 days after God saved them from brutal Egyptian slavery, food supplies began running low, physical exhaustion and mental fatigue set in. Corporate fear soon gave birth to anxiety over food, which grew into the desire to go back to slavery. During a time of physical weakness, mental fatigue, and fear, they set about fixing a problem they did not have. God had promised He would supply and food literally fell from the sky which they then could eat called “manna”.
I want to go back to my slavery sometimes. When life is hardest, and no solution is in sight, I feel the need to do anything to stop the pain. Fatigue and pain can turn anyone into an unbeliever. When life sucks, when everything around seems to be disintegrating, our choices are “will we quiet ourselfs in the wilderness, waiting on God” or “will we start walking towards Egypt”? Jesus speaks to this thinking in the first of the beatitudes.
Mt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The word “spirit” can have several meanings depending on its context. Sometimes spirit means God, Himself. Other times it can mean His gift of holy spirit given on Pentecost, living within us. Some uses of spirit refer to the person, their personality, willpower, and intellect. I believe this use of spirit is that latter one. Poverty in self-empowerment leaves room to invite the kingdom into our lives. I translate this verse “Happy, are you if you are not full of yourself.” To empty ourselves of plans and strategies, embracing God’s provision is happiness indeed, ask Martha,
Lu 10:40–42, … “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Like Martha, I too have forsaken the “needful” for that which is less. When I abandon God’s provision I end up accepting a worse choice. It brings to mind a record in Hebrews,
Heb 10:35 -36 Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
Too often God’s provision is short circuited by our agenda like the Israelites who did not recognize God’s blessing, calling it “Manna” or “what is it” in Hebrew. Its name tells us they did not recognize God’s loving provision when it arrived. Moses explained the generous provision of a compassionate God during the 40 years of that wilderness walk. The Father wanted to impress so badly the nature of His faitfulness that He named Himself Yahweh-Yireh or “The LORD Will Provide.”
God’s provision however is not limited to “what is it”. All humanity drink from the cup of God’s goodness. If God decided to turn off gravity we would all float away. What if God turned off the air or water? Yes, from the least to the greatest, all humanity is dependent on His faitfulness. Jesus taught, both the sunrise and the rain and every other blessing within our world is the fruit of His love for all, whether acknowledged or not.
Mt 5:44-45 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Moses penned Deuteronomy 8 in which he summarizes the lessons of “What is it” and the loving, forgiving nature of God. Both Moses and Jesus said, “That man shall not live by bread alone (referring to the manna He, God provided), but by every word of God.” God’s intention for humanity is more than that bread which He supplied. God’s physical provision of manna was not, and still is not, enough. Although He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust, still it is not enough to meet God’s criteria for life. All of God’s physical provision is less, including manna. They are signs pointing the way toward His larger intentions for all humanity. According to Jesus, God’s physical blessings are not an end in themselfs, but a means to a greater end, His Kingdom.
Matt 6:31 – 33 Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?’ or “What will we drink?’ or “What will we wear?’ … But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Everything in our world, food, clothing, shelter, job, family, fame, fortune, comfort, security or the lack (poverty) of these things are signs leading toward His Kingdom. He is the great prize of life. His physical provision is the demonstration of a larger, more powerful, spiritual provision greater than anything this world can offer. It is the gift which ushers humans into the divine, “The Word of God”, by which we truly live (everlasting life), the salvation word of God which usurers mere humans into the eternal.
The words Jesus spoke to the Smaritan woman at Jacob’s well He is still speaking to you and me,
Joh 4:13 -15 Where do you get that living water? … Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty …”
The end of all we thrist for in this life is found in Jesus. Like the song says “when we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun”.
John 4:23 -24 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The Father is seeking those who will accept His spiritual provision and enter His Kingdom. Greater than all the physical provisions, including “what is it” or the water of “Jacob’s well”, our Father has gifted us with the greatest of all gifts, Himself forever.
Questions to consider:
What does “poor in spirit” mean to you? Is it a good or bad thing?
Do you sometimes relate to Mary or to Martha? Why?
Do you feel that you sometimes short circuit the provision of God with your own plans and agenda?
Do feel like “The Kingdom of God” is more important to you than the things of this world?
What do you seek first?
Of all Gods provision in your life which means the most to you?
Do you feel spirit lead and spirit filled? What might you do to increase that feeling?
Part 3 Why Three Temptations?
As noted, there were three temptations given us, but scripture is clear; there were 40 days of continuous temptation, not just three on the last day. The three given us represent the essence of all temptation, the consolidation or condensed version of what every human goes through in the course of a lifetime.
The three temptations, tests or trials of Jesus in the wilderness deal in a figurative way with three categories or dimensions of life. They can be viewed as allegories for living, a hierarchy of needs or priorities that help guide us to what is important.
The first temptation is an allegory of the body, the physical. In “hunger,” we find all the things our bodies need to survive, the physical things of life. Hunger can be put for the rent or mortgage that is due, the food on the table, clothes on your back and the gas in your car, the bank account balance or the roof over our heads. It is a metaphor for all the things we “hunger” for in this life.
The second temptation is an allegory of the soul or mental. It is the promise of a positive outcome, of angles “bearing thee up,” of security and a worry-free life, a life without “dashing thy foot against a stone” or pain. It is a metaphor for faith and fear, our anxieties and confidences. It is the feeling of control we wish we had over our lives. It is the empty assurance that God and the future are manageable.
The third temptation is an allegory of the spiritual part of who we are. It is human worship, dedication, and loyalty at its core. It is what we live for, eat, breath and love. It is the internal compass and the internal dialog, the occupant of the heart. It is that which sits on the throne of the kingdom of your mind within the deepest parts of who you are. It is a metaphor of that part of us that comes from and ultimately goes back to God.
It is not surprising that we find these three dimensions within the temptations of Jesus, setting the stage for many of his teachings. In first Thessalonians, Paul speaks of this hierarchy within humans.
1Th 5:23 …I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Note Paul’s order, first the spirit, second, the soul and lastly the body, signifying that it is the spirit that holds the rest of life in balance. Jesus tells us plainly of our priority when viewing these three aspects of life.
Mt 10:28 And fear, not them which kill the body (physical), but are not able to kill the soul (mental): but rather fear him (i.e.: God who is spirit) which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
In Jesus’ estimation “Fear,” that ultimate respect or worship, is reserved only for God who is Spirit. He alone is overall, including over both body and soul.
Yes, we can be viewed as three-dimensional creatures, dimensions that flow together and intertwine, forming who we are. Of these three the spiritual gives meaning to the mind which in turn gives purpose to the physical. Like a pyramid, the physical aspects or “body” form the base upon which the soul or mental dimension rests and at the pyramid’s pinnacle is the lighthouse of life, the treasure within an earthen vessel (2 Cor 4:7), our spiritual depth, communion with Him.
Jesus taught around these three dimensions, for example,
The Physical
Mt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
The Mental
Mt 6:31 Therefore take no thought (literally, have no anxiety over or mental stress), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
The Spiritual
Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
In Jesus’ teaching, we find the pyramid inverted, upside down. The physical and the mental are both nourished and supported by and find their truest expression within a deeper spiritual reality, His Kingdom.
This upside-down pyramid thinking can be seen in His teachings giving us priorities in life.
Mt 6:19-20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
In Jesus’ teachings, He constantly addressed our need not to focus on physical “treasures” but on the greater coming kingdom. For Jesus it is not about what is, but what will be.
Much like Paul in 2 Corinthians, Jesus taught that the spirit is to rule over the physical and mental within the Christian heart.
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Jesus confronted our lack of mental confidence that God can be trusted with our future, that He always has our best interests in mind and is completely committed to our wellbeing, bringing the mental into the subjection of the spiritual.
Lu 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
The Lord’s prayer brackets the physical and mental within a spiritual blanket, beginning and ending with the spiritual, giving meaning and relevance to the physical and mental within.
It begins with the spiritual:
Mt 6:9-10 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Then continues with the physical:
Mt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Then address’ the mental:
Mt 6:12 -13A And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
Then concludes as it began with the spiritual:
Mt 6:13B For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
In our Red Letter Bible Study, we will examine each of these allegories individually. These three temptations, tests or trials of Jesus during His wilderness walk can help guide us through our wilderness. In a figurative way they deal with three categories or dimensions of life. When viewed as a metaphor for living, a hierarchy of needs or priorities, they guide us and teach us what is important within our wilderness walk.
Part 2 Why is Temptation so tempting?
Lu 4:3-4
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Why is temptation so tempting? What is the attraction here? Temptation is tempting because on some level or in some context it is good, or has “a good” attached to it. Temptation is not all “bad” otherwise; it would be sin or “the wrong thing to do.” Temptation is not all “good” otherwise; it would not be temptation; it would be “the right thing to do.” Temptation is both good and bad, living within the grey areas of our conscience and subconscious, where morality and denial collide.
Any good counterfeit $100 bill’s effectiveness depends on how closely it imitates the original. Of course, the FBI can spot a counterfeit because they have studied and worked the original, which begs the question, can you?
To the extent we know the original, the letters in red, the words of Jesus, we can avoid temptation seeing through its veneer. We will be equipped to see beyond self-interest hiding within the good, spoting the larger pain or heartbreak hidden from view, the moral victory that is at the expense others or the improved welfare of a minority at the expense of a broader public, the immediate benefit to some vs. the long term consequences others may have to suffer.
Yes, temptation is tempting because it looks and feels like the right thing to do at the time. From small to big decisions of life and society, temptation dresses up the good in bright colors and extravagant outfits to distract, diminish, and hide a more significant negative impact. Intimate knowledge of the original will empower us to separate the muddied waters around us, piercing the logic of what is good in appearance but not in substance.
Like the time Jesus confronted the Pharisees on the fifth commandment,
Mr 7:10 – 12 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
The Pharisees had come up with a great new fundraising, promotional program. Donate your parent’s retirement fund to “the cause” and call it a “gift” (tax-deductible I am sure). “Just think of all the good this money will do, the families and poor it will support and the renovations to the temple or the building fund for our new … whatever” they might say. It was the purchase of prestige, currying favor with the religious elites in a society which thrived on outward appearance. What once supported parents is now unavailable. Without these needed resources, this “great idea” soon becomes the reason some parents are homeless and destitute in their sunset years. Is donating to your church good? Of course, but not at the expense of your parents future. It is the good which plays on our self-interest (looking good for the boss or pastor) which deceives us, hiding from view a deeper pain and heartache.
I love fly fishing the fast water of the Connecticut River in upstate NH. I will spend hours studying bugs, learning to tie a fly just so, making an exact imitation a trout will say yes to. It turns out that fish do not eat hooks, so we hide them behind a yummy snack. Long term considerations remain in the shadows while the fly dances in front of the fish, and lesser short term appetites take the main stage.
It turns out that the devil also loves fishing. He weaves a web of deceit from threads taken from texts of every religion’s books and Holy Scriptures. It is a network of seemingly good intentions, which play on self-interest, but has devastating long term consequences.
His web is made to see what we want to see, the rose-colored glasses of dualistic thinking “right vs. wrong,” “you vs. me,” “us vs. them” or “the moral imperative” and “the ends justify the means.” We justify atrocities such as crusades, genocide, the turning aside of refugees, terrorism, murder, and wars without number. I shudder at the horrors we have said “yes” to, the evils visited on each other in the name of “the right thing to do.”
Jesus was a master of seeing beyond “this or that” thinking. He refused to see things in the binary black or white, rich or poor, the “in” crowd and those on the “outside.”
Mt 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Most would think “you are either happy or sad,” but Jesus turns that on its head with a deeper truth, the deepest happiness or blessings are found on the other side of pain and sadness. The faith that comes through trial, through fasting and wilderness walking is truly ours; we own it, no one can take it. Untested faith is another word for wishful thinking. To Jesus, there is “happiness” and “sadness” and “happy sadness.”
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians also speaks to this way of seeing things. He notes that our church is one expression of God’s “manifold” wisdom. Not “either-or” but “manifold” or literally “multifarious, variated or infinitely dynamic.” God sees things through the prism of dimensions we cannot begin to fathom. He sees solutions outside our sight like bread falling from the sky. The answer may not be A or B; it may be … “to be determined.”
Our physical world requires dualistic thinking to get from here to there, but deeper truths, spiritual truths, live beyond the binary. Spiritual truth requires spiritual insight found in self-reflection and contemplative prayer. As Jesus said when referring to mountain-moving, devil casting faith,
Mt 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
No seminar or bible study can provide the spiritual strength and insights born of the pain and hunger of wilderness walking.
When we see only two options more often than not, we choose the one in our own best interests and fall prey to temptation. Equally devastating are the temptations of omission. Temptation convinces, cajoles, or even threatens us into inaction. It is easy to justify a smaller good of not doing, one which has been orchestrated towards our self-interest (not upsetting the applecart), and allow a corporate evil to thrive and grow. Proverbs 3:27, 24:11-12, 28:27 speak clearly as does James,
Jas 4:17 Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him, it is sin.
Sins of omission generally begin with temptations of omission, temptations of the convenient, of safety, ease, comfort, avoiding the unknown, the unfamiliar, postponing righteous outrage or just not speaking up or showing up. The devil wants us to believe that our checkbooks have more power than our voices, keeping us “manageable” through silence and inaction.
Joh 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Jesus teaches “do not put off actionable service”. Here and now the fields are ready.
Satan’s web of deceit incorporates other strategies. He identifies and exploits a physical weakness or discomfort like hunger and wilderness fatigue. With unsolicited advice, he proposes solutions to non-existent problems. If Jesus did not want to be hungry, he would have solved that himself. Remember the loaves and fishes? Jesus was hungry because he wanted to be hungry; he was on a wilderness walk with his Father. The pain of hunger was intended and welcomed. He was learning to rely on God’s provision, which he would later teach in the “Lord’s Prayer.”
Mt 6:11“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Some believe this is a reference to the manna which fell daily; others feel it is merely a Hebraism denoting “one day at a time” or “living in day-tight compartments.” Either way, it speaks to God’s willingness to provide.
Satan creates conflict where there is none so that his solutions have a moral place to thrive (the worst of molds require a minimum amount of light to live). He then offers unsolicited proposals in ways that will attract us by speaking to our self-interest. Like any good marketing campaign, he tells us what he already knows we want to hear.
Lastly, satan capitalizes on corporate fear that he has been sowing, waiting to harvest. What corporate fear you may ask? The devil’s trump card is his first spoken word to Jesus, “if.” He plays on our fears of faith, using the specific concerns of the moment, our immediate fear or pain or discomfort to bait the hook by saying, “you might starve to death out here.” “You are all alone in this wilderness.” “If God is out there, He must be upset with you.” He puts our identity as God’s beloved into question to coax us into solving a problem we do not have.
1 Jo 3:1-2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Yes, the original $100 bill is clear,
Lu 12:6 -7A Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
When we focus on the provision of His love and commitment, knowing we are His beloved, we can see through any temptation, any good that may be in our self-interest but will inevitably cost something greater.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Questions to consider:
Do you feel like temptation gets the better of you sometimes?
Do you feel like you are familiar with the original, the letters in red?
What might you do to improve on your understanding of the letters in red?
Do you consider the impact on others before making a decision trying to see beyond self-interest?
Have you felt in the past like you have been tricked by self-interest into making a worse decision for yourself or others?
Do you sometimes feel like you are stuck between one of two bad choices, forced into “lesser evils”?
How might you find another way outside the dynamics of your problem?
Do you postpone or procrastinate Christian service?
Do you substitute finances for physical or actionable service?
What can you do today to harvest the fields?
Can you name a corporate fear the devil is sowing now for future harvest?
Do you sometimes question your identity as a beloved of God?
Do you sometimes feel distant or removed from God’s presence?
What can you do today to restore a deeper sense of God within you?
Part 1
The First Letters In Red
Matt 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13
Ever wonder “what are the first letters in red”? “What was Jesus’ first teachings or sayings”? “Who was his first audience”? What did he say? What was the lesson? Certainly, the first sermon must hold some foundational truths, like “God 101”. The answer may astound you.
The audience for the first letters in red was the devil and the setting, 40 days in the wilderness without food or water. The words of this first sermon are embedded throughout his teachings like steal cords woven within the soft cloth of a garment, comfortable to wear, yet strong as iron.
In future articles, we will examine each of the 3 temptations separately. Here in our first, we will examine the circumstances which lead up to these fundamental teachings and let the actions of what Jesus did and did not do speak to us as our letters in red.
Lu 4:1 -2
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
How do you deal with those who offend you, insult you and generally drive you nuts? Loving the loveable is easy, enjoyable even. Loving the unlovable, the brutish and self-assured, those who live in self-created worlds of confirmation bias, the prideful and angry, the resentful and unforgiving the unrepentant, are, well, not so enjoyable. The old saying “those who need love the most deserve love the least” is easy to understand in our broken world.
Three temptations are given to us but the scripture is clear, there were 40 days of continuous temptation not just 3 on the last day. The three given us represent the essence of all temptation, the consolidation or condensed version of what every human goes through in the course of a lifetime. The tests we pass and the tests we fail. Further, these 40 days continued to accumulate pressure, upping the ante of discomfort, thirst, and hunger with each passing day. Pressures which built up like water drops into a glass until the glass is full. Drops of hunger, thirst, and discomfort much like the droplets of responsibility, the expectations of those around us, requirements of family and jobs, the politics and difficult relationships, heartache and disappointments of life, divorce, addiction and death, the accumulation of 40 years of life and living. Just thinking about it makes me want to hide in a cave by myself.
But Jesus did not. His actions are our letters in red. He did not close himself off. He did not escape into the TV, retreat into social media or run off to a local bar. No matter how badly you have been offended, been disrespected, how warm the tears on your cheek, no one has been transgressed more than God, transgressions we all have played part in. The chief architect of God’s offense is the devil. Yet Jesus was led to this encounter by God Himself (Mt 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil).
I frankly would have been pissed off and lashed out. Maybe thrown some verbal abuse or four-letter expletives his way, maybe tried to unravel his twisted illogic about Job or the Garden of Eden. But Jesus loved him, was patient with him, respectful even, allowing him to talk or tempt. Here we see vividly Jesus’ application of his own doctrine toward his “enemy”.
Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
So too, we are led into the wilderness of our world. Christians tend to consolidate, isolate and exclude, building bigger universities, churches, and communities when Jesus calls us to “get out the house and play with the other kids”! If Jesus can have a conversation with the devil then certainly I can take a homeless person to dinner or host a block party for my neighbors regardless of their religious affiliation.
Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so, send I you.
Why is it that God’s people are so easily offended when God is not? Why is it that Jesus’ disciples can be so disagreeable with others when Jesus is not? Jesus was out in the world, why do Christians avoid the world beyond church doors or dodge conversations to avoid an argument or conflict? Why not just listen? Our God has a very thick skin because He is … well, God. We do not have to be so thin-skinned as Christians. We can take an insult or offense, a contradiction or insult and be ok because we have read the end of the book. Our book has a very happy ending.
If God is our God then there is no fear of being wrong, no need for challenge, vindication or having the last word. The last word is His and all humanity will bow before it regardless of all our political or religious attachments.
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth, not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day
The question of “will I bow” has been resolved in the cross. The question that remains is “when will I bow”? Will I bow before him now, here this day or will I bow in the last day when I fall to my knees before the Almighty?
Our anger and frustration at others who debate is born of our own fear. The level of our offense is the measure of our own unbelief. It is the fear that they are right. It is the fear that we will starve in the wilderness, that He will not give His angels charge over us and that all the “kingdoms of this world” is a good deal and we should take it while it is on the table! It is the fear born of a lifetime of heartache and heartbreak, disappointments and resentments which have worn us down and made us doubt that He is who He says He is and will be who He says He will be. That He is God, perfect Father, perfect Mother, constantly abiding, always our best interests in mind.
If God is God then offense bounces off of us like bullets off Superman. Be clear, nothing (Rom 8:37-39), no created thing in this world or the spirit world can dent or scratch Gods armor. This truth means we can relax in the face of unbelief, doubt, and indignation, yes even in the presence of the devil himself. We can let them walk on our shoes because we walk on His. We can love because He is love.
How, you may ask, can we overcome 40 days or 40 years of fasting and wilderness walking? How is it that we cannot be worn down into doubt by the everyday horrors of our broken world which come at us like drops of water in a glass? How is it we can be loving, kind people in such an unloving and unkind place? How did Jesus stand before the devil with such compassion, grace, and composure and how can I do it in the face of my own devils?
The answer is simple, but I will warn you, like so many simple answers, it is not as easy as it sounds. (Lu 4:1 -2 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness). Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost and led of the Spirit. Human strength is too weak to carry the day, day after day, year after year, decade after decade only the spirit can bring us the refreshment need to continue until that last day, that last great day when we see his face. Only the Spirit can energize and help us drink from the glass of human sorrows, pick up the pieces and carry on again. There is no replacement for, or substituting the dynamic relationship that happens in the secret place.
Mt 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
It may seem simple but the truth is a lifetime of trying and the willingness to start over even though you will screw it up again. We must learn to allow ourselves the do-over. It’s like the old expression, “I know what the balance looks like because I see it each time I pass by it”.
In this wilderness walk, we can face our devils just as Jesus did, with compassion, respect and loving consideration because he is within us, energizing and supplying that which is exhausted. Knowing we will get it wrong is a large part of getting it right. Allow yourself the room to try in the Spirit, reaching out in love and respect to those who drive you nuts, to the devils in your wilderness walk.
Lu 17:21 … behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Questions to consider:
How do I deal with those who offend me?
Am I a thick-skinned or thin-skinned Christian?
How do I want to respond to the ‘difficult’ people in my life?
Do I use TV, drugs, alcohol or social media to escape or avoid others?
What can I do to get more involved in the wilderness world around me?
How many unbelieving or non-church going friends do I have?
Do I remember times of greater spiritual strength?
How can I build upon and develop a deeper spiritual connection?
Ornan’s threshing floor is a selection of journal entries, sermon parts and pieces and writings by Stephen Carey, pastor of Main Street Mission.
Main Street Mission is a non-denominational Christian inner-city outreach ministry located at 57 Manchester St. Manchester NH