The test
This week is on Matthew 4:1-3:
I was reading these verses today, and the footnote for them said that the word used for 'tempted' also means to be 'tested.' It's an interesting way of looking at temptation. Jesus was sent into the wilderness, and Satan was sent as a test to him. Like "You should know this, let's see how you respond."
Satan, playing the role of a test question, showed up and tried to get Jesus to use his powers to change a stone into bread. Jesus knew the answer, and he answered with God's word, not with what would have been natural for a man starving for over a month to do. So he passed the test!
How many times does God allow Satan into our lives to administer a test? If we fail, do we recognize it as a test, and look things over to see what we got wrong? Or do we just blunder ahead obliviously? Are we ready for a test? Like if things fell apart tomorrow, or some irresistible but totally wrong "opportunity" showed up on the train home from work today, would we recognize the test, or would we make horrible decisions?
Sometimes it's an obvious test, like "Will you be faithful?" or "Will you decide not to steal?" Other times it's a more subtle test, like "Are you going to freak out?" or "Are you going to take the opportunity not to be selfish?" or "Will you be a jerk to the guy who cut you off?" Sometimes they're surprise tests, completely out of the blue, and other times they're tests we know about in advance, like "X is going to happen tomorrow so how will I respond?"
Passing a test means we've grown as a person, like we've gotten closer to how God wanted us to be. We should want tests. God doesn't give us tests we're not prepared for. So getting a test, in a way, is like saying he thinks we've grown and wants us to see it too. And if we fail, we still learn what we need to work on, so "win win."
Jesus passed all of his tests. His Holy Spirit is available to us, to tell us how to pass ours too. Ask God to help our tests be easy ones. Pay attention to what he wants, and how he's working in your life. Then when the test comes, it's a good thing, not a bad thing.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
I was reading these verses today, and the footnote for them said that the word used for 'tempted' also means to be 'tested.' It's an interesting way of looking at temptation. Jesus was sent into the wilderness, and Satan was sent as a test to him. Like "You should know this, let's see how you respond."
Satan, playing the role of a test question, showed up and tried to get Jesus to use his powers to change a stone into bread. Jesus knew the answer, and he answered with God's word, not with what would have been natural for a man starving for over a month to do. So he passed the test!
How many times does God allow Satan into our lives to administer a test? If we fail, do we recognize it as a test, and look things over to see what we got wrong? Or do we just blunder ahead obliviously? Are we ready for a test? Like if things fell apart tomorrow, or some irresistible but totally wrong "opportunity" showed up on the train home from work today, would we recognize the test, or would we make horrible decisions?
Sometimes it's an obvious test, like "Will you be faithful?" or "Will you decide not to steal?" Other times it's a more subtle test, like "Are you going to freak out?" or "Are you going to take the opportunity not to be selfish?" or "Will you be a jerk to the guy who cut you off?" Sometimes they're surprise tests, completely out of the blue, and other times they're tests we know about in advance, like "X is going to happen tomorrow so how will I respond?"
Passing a test means we've grown as a person, like we've gotten closer to how God wanted us to be. We should want tests. God doesn't give us tests we're not prepared for. So getting a test, in a way, is like saying he thinks we've grown and wants us to see it too. And if we fail, we still learn what we need to work on, so "win win."
Jesus passed all of his tests. His Holy Spirit is available to us, to tell us how to pass ours too. Ask God to help our tests be easy ones. Pay attention to what he wants, and how he's working in your life. Then when the test comes, it's a good thing, not a bad thing.
If Jesus can pass tests, so can we. We just have to hold on...
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