Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. 2 And
after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said
to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It
is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.’”
Is God really good? Ever wonder if Jesus questioned
the goodness of the Father. The scripture says that Jesus was tempted just as
you are, yet did not sin. Suppose the conversation with the devil or Satan in
this passage was increased by a few choice words from Satan that would make
this temptation a little more real to you. What if Satan had added words like,
“Jesus, you look awful. I thought God, the one you call Father, was good. If He
is so good why are you so emaciated. You look downright gaunt. If your Father is
so good why hasn’t He fed you these forty days? Most fathers would have
provided their son with abundance. Yet look at you. If I were you I would
question whether He was a good God or good Father.”
Maybe your temptation is not about eating or even
being hungry. Do you ever question the goodness of God when things get tough?
When you are in need of more money, a job, better health, a more loving family,
a relief from the depression, or the struggles of just getting by are you
tempted to think that God must have a warped sense of humor, or that even worse
He is just plain mean.
The world you live in is shattered by war,
hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods. The children of the world are
starving. You look at the situations you see even in your family and
neighborhood and question God’s goodness. Let me assure you Jesus temptation
was just as real as is yours. His answer was simply, “Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus
fought the temptation with the scripture. More than that He found the true
answer. God really is good. His word declares Him so. He is there for you and
loves you.
Don’t allow the devil to remove from you the peace
that only He can give. GOD IS GOOD!! He is full of grace and mercy. He wants
you to know that you will survive whatever you face because He is good. He is
desirous that you only trust Him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Jesus discovered in this temptation that God can provide and that He will.
______________Today's personal note from Dennis
Greetings from Big Bass Lodge on Table Rock Lake in Cape Fair, MO.
Sandy and I are a little over half way through our trip. We head to Arkansas on Thursday for a few days with the Noble family. We have been with our friends the Dempsey's this week. The time with family and friends has been great. I have had the opportunity to go fishing a couple of times. ONLY ONE FISH. YUK!!
We went by Halfway, MO elementary school. It was her first teaching job in 1967-1968. School had not changed much. I leave your imagination to what had changed.
Some of our time in Springfield we spent with Sammy, Sandy's brother, his wife, Kathy and kids. So good to see all of them. I challenged them to a croquet game and of course won. Any challengers??
Sunday I preached at the Second Baptist Church of Lebanon. They have requested that I return in the Fall to preach a revival. We are working on dates.
We hopefully will be home by the middle of next week. On Saturday the 20th I will be sharing a devotional at FBC of Tempe to a Men's Breakfast. On Sunday the 21st and 28th I will be preaching at the Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ.
We so appreciate your prayers while be have been traveling. So far the time has been good and safe. Looking forward to seeing everyone at home.
May God bless you with lots of love. ~ DGW
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