In the desert, Jesus faced physical discomfort. Hunger and thirst. Ironic, The Bread of Life Himself without physical sustenance. Scripture tells us that the Devil came to Jesus in the wilderness to test Him,The enemy used Jesus’ physical condition to test His personal identity. If you are the Son of God – prove it! Prove who you are by showing what you can do for yourself.
An interesting test. The test of “flesh.” Prove who you are by the standard of how well you can take care of your own needs. If we can provide for ourselves, then surely we are independent. If we can buy big houses, fancy cars, designer clothes, then surely we are successful. “Don’t help me, I can do it by myself” is one of the first things toddler’s learn to say. “I can tie my shoes all by myself now” – it proves I’m a big girl!
Jesus’ answer to Satan was,
An interesting test. The test of “flesh.” Prove who you are by the standard of how well you can take care of your own needs. If we can provide for ourselves, then surely we are independent. If we can buy big houses, fancy cars, designer clothes, then surely we are successful. “Don’t help me, I can do it by myself” is one of the first things toddler’s learn to say. “I can tie my shoes all by myself now” – it proves I’m a big girl!
Jesus’ answer to Satan was,
"It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4
In refusing to satisfy His own physical needs, Jesus is telling us that the true standard of who we are and what we need is not based in the physical realm. It isn’t about what we have or what we can do on our own. It isn’t about meeting all of our needs by ourselves. Who we are is based on whose we are, and therefore real sustenance is not about what we can provide for ourselves, but what God wants to give us.
How do we break this mind-set of trying to prove ourselves by showing how well we can provide for our own needs? One way is by going without… giving up, or better yet, anonymously giving away those very things by which we have been defining ourselves, and by turning our awareness and thankfulness to what God is giving us today.
In refusing to satisfy His own physical needs, Jesus is telling us that the true standard of who we are and what we need is not based in the physical realm. It isn’t about what we have or what we can do on our own. It isn’t about meeting all of our needs by ourselves. Who we are is based on whose we are, and therefore real sustenance is not about what we can provide for ourselves, but what God wants to give us.
How do we break this mind-set of trying to prove ourselves by showing how well we can provide for our own needs? One way is by going without… giving up, or better yet, anonymously giving away those very things by which we have been defining ourselves, and by turning our awareness and thankfulness to what God is giving us today.
3 comments:
I wonder if it is the "world" or myself that defines me by what I can provide for myself -- one thing I am sure of, that isn't how God defines me. So I wonder why the other opinions are so important to me?
Scotty
Robyn,
I'm linking your blog to mine.
--brandichambless.blogspot.com
What a gtreat perspective on what "giving up" is about.
Greg
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