Temptation

Today was a great day for learning - and it came from a source I should already be familiar with... the good book of Mathew out of the Holy Bible. The book of Mathew contains insight into temptation and it blew me away because of its pure simplicity. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, and for those of you who are - check out or reunite yourself with the story of Jesus Christ who after fasting 40 days and nights is confronted by satan....

Basically there are three things that the Saviour was tested on - and this is where the pure genius lies - because it is the three things that tempt us today - physical appetite, pride and power. Whether you are religious or not, whether you read the bible or not - there is learning here for everyone...

1) Man should not live by bread alone
Satan tells the Saviour (and I paraphrase liberally here - so don't look for these quotes ;-)) "[I know you're hungry so if you are truly the son of God - why don't you turn those stones into bread and have a feed....]" I love the reply found in Mathew 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" which basically means, and I paraphrase -  No! Food is not where my strength comes from - that comes from knowing the truth. The lesson: overcome the basest of our physical appetites so that we are free to make the choices that achieve physical, spiritual, and emotional happiness.

2) Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God
Satan then takes the Saviour to the pinnacle of the temple and tells him (remember - paraphrasing here ;-)) "[Why don't you jump of this building - because there are angels that are charged to look after you and they will save you and won't even let you stub your toe...]" The reply found in Mathew 4:7 "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" which basically was - No! I don't have to prove that I am loved and looked after by my Father. He has more important things to do. The lesson: pride can be a killer - don't even make it a part of your character.

3) Thou shalt worship the Lord they God
Satan then takes the Saviour to the top of a mountain and after showing him all the kingdoms of the world, he says "[I will give you all of this if you would bow down and worship me]" The reply is found in Mathew 4:10 "Get thee hence Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" which means - No! - there is only one God and to him and only him do I serve. The lesson: know where your loyalties lie and be true to them. There is only one God.

Satan departs after this last episode dejected in his failure to fall Jesus Christ.

However, he is not one to give up - as he is having small gains every day through tempting the weaker of us. He does it through appealing to our desires to quench our appetities, our pride - therefore not humble and teachable, and our human need to have power to rule over others....

Having said that, we are on this earth to have a happy life that can have an extraordinarily happy ending. It is up to us to avoid temptations and if we slip - to overcome that, and carrying on.. Dieter F. Uchtdorf shares "Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”

So, for this week my friends - lets get on with it....

Mxox