What Jesus Did! 'Only One to Worship' — Matthew 4:8-10

Thursday, January 28, 2021

[Continuing the temptations,] the devil took [Jesus] to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."

"Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say,

'You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.'"
— Matthew 4:8-10 NLT

Key Thought

What's our breaking point? At what point would we quit honoring God and begin to choose Satan's path? Not a very comfortable question, is it? What if we knew someone had power over the world and would give it to us if we would just acknowledge him as king? What if we knew we would suffer and be offered as a sacrifice because we would not acknowledge him as king? Jesus is Lord, not because he took Satan's phony bargain, but because he refused it. "Get out of here!" Jesus ordered and Satan obeyed — as the next verse describes (Matthew 4:11). But the cost of this victory for Jesus meant a far more gruesome battle to come. Nevertheless, Jesus refused to compromise his devotion to the Father even at the cost of his own comfort, acceptance, and life. Jesus won these battles over Satan and repeatedly chose to walk the path of total devotion to God, at incredible cost, to redeem us!

Today's Prayer

O Lord my God, my heart is filled with admiration, wonder, thanks, and praise. Your plan to redeem me from my sins and adopt me into your family comes at such a high cost to you and Jesus. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for redeeming me from the debt of sin. Jesus, Lord and Christ, thank you for dying to prevent death's power controlling me. Thank you. In your name, I thank you!

Related Scripture Readings

  • Exodus 20:1-3
  • Matthew 22:37-38
  • John 12:31-33

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Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 4:8-10 NLT — "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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