I thought that after the festivities, and frankly the excesses, of Christmas I'd look at the subject of temptation.
Let's be honest we've all been tempted from time-to-time, you know -that bar of chocolate that we really shouldn't have, that extra piece of gooey cake or lusting after that amazing car in the TV advert. The fact is, that in the society in which we live, temptation is everywhere.
'So, what', you may say, 'is the problem with that, after all isn't that just the way things work?' - and you'd have a point - however, there's this problem with temptation, the more we listen to its seductive whispers, the stronger its hold on us becomes. There comes a point when we're so intent on gaining the focus of these temptations that we start to lose contact with God. Even Jesus faced temptation! In Matthew 4:1-11, we see Jesus go out into the desert for 40 days, during this time he hadn't eaten at all and was extremely hungry. The Devil sees this and thinks this is his chance to tempt Jesus away from God. He starts by asking Jesus to turn a rock into a loaf of bread, after this his temptations become increasingly spectacular, as he trys anything to get Jesus away from the Father. Jesus had gone into the desert to understand how to fulfil his ministry and do God's work, but he's not some 1st Century superhero, so at first the Devil's temptations must have sounded almost plausible. However, although Jesus' physical needs are important, his loyalty to the Father is far more so and he rejects the temptations. It's important to note that Jesus doesn't argue - because arguing with temptation can be a way of justifying it and making it appear acceptable, which of course, makes it harder to resist - he quotes scripture to the Devil, rejecting each temptation and bringing the conversation back to God.
Jesus is indeed the world's true Lord, but it's not by using great power, often in self-seeking ways, like many emperors or kings, or by doing reckless things that would require the Father to rescue him (such as when the Devil tells him to throw himself from the highest point of the temple), but by humble service, teaching God's words, healing and ultimately by giving his life on the cross as a sacrifice of love for us all.
The fact is that each of us will be tempted, so we need to be alert to the voices that whisper those tempting ideas, those things which sound so fair, but feel so foul. We are able to follow Jesus' example of not arguing with them, but finding guidance in scripture and prayer. Although it's not always easy the light will always overcome the darkness, our main defence against temptation is our love and loyalty to God as we follow Jesus along the path to glory, away from the illusion of temptation, toward the promise of life everlasting.
Wishing you all a happy and peaceful New Year
God bless
Mark
