In Loving Memory. 1920 - 2010

"Do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one." Matthew 6:13Greetings to those who read my story. I pray that it will be a blessing to you in some small way. God chooses the most unlikely persons to carry out his work. I do feel that I am led to write these stories about Jesus, although an eighty-eight year old grandmother is not the most likely one to be putting stories on a web site.I have chosen part of the Lord's Prayer to use as my key verse for this Bible story of how the Devil tempted our Lord Jesus during the forty days that he spent in the desert, fasting and praying. Luke tells us that at the end of these forty days, Jesus was famished. The devil first tempted Jesus by saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus replied, "One does not live by bread alone!" In the wilderness where Jesus was, the earth was covered with little bits of limestone that looked exactly lilke small loaves of bread. How easy it would have been for Jesus to turn one of those stones into a loaf of bread. The devil was saying to Jesus, "Look, if you want people to follow you and believe in you, then use your power to provide material things for them." Bribe them, is what the devil was saying.Do you recall the Bible story of Esau and Jacob? They were twins, and Esau was the first born of the two. Therefore, he should receive the birthright. But, one day he came in from the fields and was tired and extremely hungry. Jacob had bread and stew ready. Esau asked for some of the food, but Jacob said, "First. sell me your birthright." Esau felt that he would surely die of hunger and what would be the use of a birthright anyhow. Right on the spot, Esau swore to give Jacob his birthright. Jesus had no intention of giving away his birthright to the devil. He remained God's only son.The devil wasn't finished yet. Next, he led Jesus up the mountain and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. He said to Jesus, "Worship me and all will be yours." The devil was telling Jesus to compromise. "Don't set your sights so high. Compromise a little with evil and then people will follow you." Jesus said, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him." The devil was totally aware of the strong temptation to want greatness and power in our lives.I recall a scene in the old movie, "The Prisoner of Zenda" in which Ronald Colman starred. He played the role of an innocent man on a fishing vacation but he also happened to be the double of the "playboy" king of that country. This trifling king was kidnapped by his step-brother who wanted to be king. In order to prevent that from happening, the double ( Ronald Colman) played the part of the kidnapped king. There was a most thrilling scene when he walked into the great room for the coronation. There was such pomp and grandeur! How easy it would have been for the "double" to have accepted that kind of power! Jesus knew that he was not born to be an earthy King.Think of the tricks that Evel Kanievel had tried. Leaping over a fleet of buses? Jumping over the Grand Canyon in a motorcycle? Thousands of people would come to see him. They would travel far and pay a high price to see him do these daring stunts. What did he ever have to show for all of this sensationalism? Nothing but months spent in hospitals recovering from his injuries and probably spenting all of his money for getting well again.Even at the time of temptation, Jesus was conscious of the fact that he possessed exceptional powers. These temptations came only to a man whose powers were unique and who had to decide how he would use them. Few of us would ever be tempted to make bread out of desert rocks because we know we can't do such a thing. Few of us would ever have the chance to have the power of a king, or would even want it. Few of us would ever want to do the stunts that Evel Kanievel had done. But, we all have our own temptations to overcome every day of our lives! When we are tempted, let's just call on our Lord and Savior to save us. He experienced temptation. He knew how to deal with it. He will help us deal with ours!