Yesterday, I posted a lesson on the temptation of Christ based on Matthew 4.  It was also sourced from J. Oswald Sanders’ classic, “The Incomparable Christ.” Today, my Bible reading is in Luke 4 and I felt like sharing some thoughts about the reading I had for today.

Luke 4:1: When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, it was at the time that he was “FULL” of the Holy Spirit.  It is not possible for us to be led of the Spirit when we are not full of the Spirit.  Some people think that the fullness of the Spirit is similar to filling a measuring cup with liquid: that the fullness of the Spirit can be measured by centiliters, milliliters and liters. No, the fullness of the Spirit is the degree to which we are willing to be subject to the Holy Spirit.  The word in Tagalog which we use to translate “fullness” is <pagpapasakop> which means “to allow to be ruled by.” It also implies that one’s will is completely and absolutely surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

It is shocking to realize that after Jesus’ heightened experience at Jordan, after He was baptized and He experienced the very public declaration and revelation of God the Father that Jesus is indeed His Son, immediately, Jesus was brought to the wilderness for to be tested.  In ordinary life, it often happens that when we accomplish some major spiritual victory, the victory is short-lived and we are immediately plunged into a test.  Often, after a victorious preaching or teaching, a domestic squabble ensues.

God isn’t being mean when He does that.  He times His tests to come at a time when we are strong, not because we shall be able to conquer because of our own spiritual strength, but so that we realize further that whatever spiritual strength we happen to possess is a gracious gift of God.  The strength and joy of the strength is not ours to display like a trophy, it is a gracious gift of God for which He alone must be glorified.

People are shocked when I say that God is not in the business of getting glory for Himself, God is in the business of getting ALL glory for Himself.  It is true because only God is God.  Only God deserves ALL glory, praise and honor.  He who comes to God must believe that God is who He says He is.  God honors them that honor Him.

When God puts us to the test right after we experience a measure of spiritual success or victory, we can be sure that God is dealing with us as He deals with His sons: there is no room for boasting before God our Father.  The spring cannot rise above its source. In Him we move and have our being.  Without Him, we would not exist. He therefore must increase, and I must decrease. That is the paradox of the spiritual life: to go up, one must go down; to climb to higher heights, one must go through the depths, the cross before the crown.

Does this offend you?

People these days have a very unbiblical view of who God is: they imagine Him to be like Santa Claus, when He is not.  He is the Almighty Creator who rules me because He owns me.  I am not my own.  And yet He loves me and through these tests, He purifies me and makes my character conform to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Luke 4:5-6 Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and even boasted that he can give all the kingdoms to Jesus Christ because God has granted to Satan the power to give it to whomever he wills. Satan is a liar, this much we know about him.  But he is a good liar, because he can mix his lies with just enough truth to be utterly plausible and acceptable to the mind.

Thus, while it may be true that the kingdoms of the this world are his to give to whomever he chooses, his gift of power is short-lived, for it is only available “in a moment of time.”  I doubt if this means a millisecond or even a second.  It think that the phrase “moment of time” here may mean a lifetime or even several lifetimes: as when kings rule all their lives long and establish dynasties so that their sons and their grandsons rule after them.  No matter how long it is in the years that can be reckoned by man, it is still a “moment of time” when compared with eternity.

Do we not always lament when tyrants and despots stay in power for decades? Let’s say Martial Law under Marcos,  it is commonly believed that Marcos abused his power. We bewailed the 23 years under Martial Law when we suffered under the wickedness of the rule. The suffering seemed unbearable and the 23 years felt like a lifetime, an eternity. And yet, to God, Martial Law was just a “moment of time.” The Roman Empire which lived for a thousand years was just a “moment of time” to God because God is eternal and timeless. Only man is ruled by time.

And yet, man is eternal as well.  Both the saved and the unsaved have eternal souls, the only difference between them is the destination of those eternal souls in eternity: saved souls go to be with the Father of light and unsaved souls go to the place of darkness away from the Father of light.  Saved souls enter into eternal joy in the presence of God while unsaved souls enter eternal punishment away from the manifest presence of God.

This realization should affect our daily decisions, our daily investment of our time and strength.  If we invest in this world, to gain power, influence, fame and fortune, we may do well and live well  on this earth, but all that will only be for a “moment of time.”  Whereas, if we set our affections on the unseen things of God, we are in fact investing on the eternal.

Christians whose imaginations are engrossed with the things of this world are short-sighted.  They fail to invest on eternal things.  So that, while they may be rich and comfortable in this life, their riches and comfort are only for “a moment of time;” they will not be as rich in the eternal life.  They fail to see that God’s claims on our being are exclusive: no man can serve God and mammon. Jesus must be Lord of All in our life, or else, He is not Lord at all. There are no diverse investment portfolios in the spiritual realm.  We have either “left all to follow Thee” or else we are like Demas who as “forsaken me; having loved this present world.”

Indeed, the temptation of Christ is our temptation even today.  The choices Christ had to make are the same we are called upon to make:  choose you now this day whom ye will serve….

Have a good and God-ly day, dear readers!