Key Thought

The Devil is baiting Jesus to try to get him to show that God is really with him. It is as if the Devil is telling Jesus, "Before it comes to the crucial showdown between you and me at Calvary, show that God's behind you. It will give you more courage and strength if it is really true and if you can really trust him!" Jesus saw through the whole charade. He would not test God, because to put God to the test is to distrust God's faithfulness. Yes, we will all pass through the fires of trial and temptation. Yes, we want to be confident in God's presence. But, we never want to doubt his faithfulness to his promises or to us. We don't need to test his faithfulness; it's been proven over the course of centuries. The issue is our faithfulness and our limited view of all that is going on in his work in history. We must not think we can put God to the test; we are the ones who will be tested! Our job is to be faithful to our Father as our Father is faithful to us!

Today's Prayer

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O God, the Heavenly Father who has proven himself faithful for generations, forgive me for those times that I have been presumptuous, pompous, or cynical. I confess my human limitations and my all-too-human desire for assurance and security. Give me courage to be faithful in the face of ridicule and scorn from others, and in the face of doubt within myself. I do believe that you have been, are, and will be faithful. May I be found faithful, too. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

Jesus returned from the Jordan River. He was full of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert. There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. When those days were finished, Jesus was very hungry. The devil said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'It is not just food that keeps people alive.'" Then the devil took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to Jesus, "I will make you king over all these places. You will have power over them and will get all the glory. It has all been given to me. I can give it to any person I want. I will give it all to you, if you will only worship me." Jesus answered, "It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!'" Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. The devil put Jesus on a very high place of the temple. He said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'God will command his angels to take care of you.' It is also written: 'Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'" Jesus answered, "But it also says {in the Scriptures }: 'You must not test (doubt) the Lord your God.'" The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time.

— Luke 4:1-13 (ERV)

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.