9 May 07
“You can’t have a temptation in life without a craving in your soul.”
This statement has intrigued me since the moment I heard it. The thought that I can actually get a glimpse into my soul at the things that I crave through the temptations that come my way. Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4 with food, “…tell these stones to become bread,” because he was hungry after fasting for 40 days. Jesus’ response “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
What did he mean by this? It’s not about this material world, but only through God can ones deepest longings and cravings be satisfied. Here’s the reality, if Jesus would have turned the stones to bread, out of God’s will, it would have NEVER satisfied his hunger. It would have just been like eating rocks, empty promises of satisfaction and fulfillment.
What God had been trying to teach us was not to make the same mistake that Adam and Eve made. They saw the fruit and they thought that is what they needed to live. There was a craving, and so they were tempted. How many things do I crave outside the will of God expecting fulfillment and satisfaction, only to receive emptiness and distance from God?
The same tactics that satan used to tempt Adam and Eve are the same tactics that he used to tempt Jesus, which is the same way he tries to tempt us. It is God who has made you with needs and it is God who longs to satisfy those needs.
When temptation comes your way (and it will) to satisfy “that” craving, whatever it may be, will you trust that God has an opportunity waiting for you if you are obedient?
Will we trust that God is good enough to satisfy the deepest longings, desires and cravings of our souls?
Do you believe that Jesus is what you need?
Gen. 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Deut. 8:11 “Be careful that you do not forget…”
F
That scripture is so valuable. How often do we stray from God and forget all that He has done for us. We find ourselves on bended knee praying to Him when all is in turmoil, and right after He shows up and answers our prayers we walk away forgetting what He has just done and forgetting sometimes even to thank Him. Then when all is well we forget to thank God that we have it so good. We forget how blessed we are and get up off those bended knees forgetting God until the next time we need Him.
i liked the lesson wed, but my favorite part was about the mana. how they could only take enough 4 one day and have faith God would provide and how there we be maggots on them the next day if they disobeyed, i don't know about you, but i dont want to have "maggots" on my food so to speak. its a great lesson to remind us God is big and he will take care of us one day at a time. don't worry about tomorro, see what you can do for him today.
ok thinks 4 reading my rant im done
at first it seemed to me like a "duh statement" that we are tempted with what we crave. but then i really thought about it. i thought about what i am tempted by, and then what other people are tempted by but i'm not. it really is true that if you don't desire something, it won't be used against you. so we can no longer ask "why am i being tempted like this?" because the temptation is simply being used to show us that we should not try to fill ourselves with those bad things that we crave.
I was listening to the new Killers' song "When You Were Young" on the radio the other day and, for some reason, it got stuck in my head.
It's taken me a while, but I think I finally figured out why.
That song relates, almost thought for thought to what Freddy's been talking about.
In the chorus, the Killers write, "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young."
Isn't it striking how close that is to our discussion of cravings?
This song is about a girl who is seeking after something, someone wholesome and pure (like Jesus). But, when the search gets difficult, she abandons ship and settles for a cheap, counterfeit treasure.
How often do we do that in life? How often do we, "Lose love to find romance"? (To quote Freddy's main man, Bono.)
God has given us something so perfect, so real, but also something difficult and rare. He asks us only to search.
But, because of our laziness, we often see something that talks like a gentleman and forget about our craving for something that looks like Jesus.
Zach...good word! I like the way that you thought this out. It helped drive home the thought that i settle... for what's easy, for what comfortable, for what i think i need. We don't need to wear those chains anymore... Good word!