So I was with some friends the other night watching the second best Christmas movie ever created, Elf (the first is the Christmas Story). Some how the topic of temptation came up, and my friend Alyssa and Ben we talking about it. Over hearing them talk got me thinking of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness. How when he was in the wilderness during those 40 days he was tempted. Luke 4:1-2 “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.” And this got me thinking and these are some of my thoughts.
There are a few things Jesus had to do specifically for us to be saved from our sins. One of the things that He had to endure was temptation of all sin. Jesus just did not happen to wonder into the wilderness, He was led there by the Spirit. He was led into a place where He would have to be solely dependent on His father to provide. Now while he was in the wilderness for those 40 days, it specifically says that He was tempted by the devil. Authority was given to the devil to tempt Jesus. This reminds me of Job, God gave permission to satan to test Job knowing that Job was a blameless and upright man. During those 40 days when Jesus was in the wilderness we are not given much of what happened other than he did not eat and he was tempted by the devil.
For Jesus to be able save us from all our sins he had to be tempted by all sins that plague humanity. Depression, anxiety, fear, pride, lust, homosexuality, anger, gluttony, comparison, everything that is a sin we have been saved from. We have been saved from it all because Jesus was tempted by it all and he said no. He said no to every sin that haunts us. The anxiety that comes and cripples us from moving, the pride that tells us that we alone are enough, the lust that is telling a generation of men that woman are an object to be captured rather than a beauty to be pursued. We are saved from it all because Jesus said no to it in the wilderness. Jesus felt everything that those sins tempt us with also. Hebrews 5:8 “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Jesus just didnt only suffer on the cross, he suffered everything that a Human does. He had blisters on his feet, he was hungry, his skin burned from the sun, he suffered from the same temptations that lead us to sin in his time in the wilderness.
Now that because Jesus suffered we dont have to, the victory has been won. We are be able to live in eternity with our heavenly father how we were designed to be. The glory that comes from Jesus’s suffering is not limited. It is full and unending. But sin is limited. I believe that Jesus was tempted by every sin known to man. If Jesus wasnt tempted by all sin then how could we be saved from every sin? Jesus was tempted by and conquered every sin in the span of 40 days. Because of the 40 days of temptation that Jesus suffer, we are able to live in the presence of endless glory. Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
The sin of man is limited to what Jesus suffered for us. Jesus suffered it all, and all the temptations only lasted for 40 days. Gods glory is endless.
It is getting close till I leave. I woke up this morning and it hit me a little harder than it normal has. I just began to pray for my friends here. Its a weird feeling knowing that I wont be seeing them for a year. It is a heaviness right now. A weight of knowing that I wont be seeing some of my closet friends for a year, these friends have celebrated victory with me, morned death with me, prayed for healing over me, they have just been present. I think that this is one of the best qualities of a friend. A friend who is just there. I am thankful for the friends who are present like Jesus is.
I am at 70% funded! It is a crazy thought that I have raised over $14,000 in under 10 months. Oh how God provides through his children. In this season of fundraising I am in right now I have really been learning that people are not giving to me, they are giving back to God. I am thankful that God has positioned me in such a strategic place where people can trust in God through giving to me.
I am having a fundraiser at Social Coffee on the 7th of January from 1-5! 10% of all sales will go to my WorldRace support! The 7th is also my last full day in Wilmington also, so it is a great place to give me one last hug. Reach out to me, lets get coffee before I leave.
Merry Christmas.
Joe
