Jan 4 - Luke 4:1

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,

returned from the Jordan and

was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

Luke 4:1

Jesus was born the Son of God. He was the Messiah. But no one (except his parents) knew it.

His public ministry began with his baptism. But then the Holy Spirit whisked him back into seclusion. He drove him into the wilderness – which was not a beautiful, camping trip wilderness; it was harsh and desolate.

And what happened there was harsh and desolate. He was alone, fasting, and hungry. And in this desolation, God allowed him to be sifted by the devil.

Why?

When Jesus was baptized, the curtain was pulled back. Earth got a glimpse of heaven, got a glimpse of our redeemer. Then God pulled that power and glory back away from Jesus – just as he did upon the cross. Without the power and glory, Jesus, on Calvary, was allowed to be human to the extent that he literally died. In the wilderness, with the power and glory rolled back, Jesus had to confront Satan and temptation and evil as only a human.

That’s how you and I always encounter this earth and its temptations. We are always and only humans.

But … when Jesus weathered this wilderness temptation, something remarkable happened. He provided a path to victory. You and I cannot defeat sin and evil on our own. Nevertheless, there is a path to victory. When we die to ourselves and enter into the life of Christ, it is his power – not ours – that fights temptation and evil.

Life will inevitably cast us into the wilderness. It will be harsh and desolate and lonely and grief-filled and tempting. If you go it alone, you may get crushed. But if you die to yourself and let Christ live through you, you will be as victorious as he was.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s played enough sports

to know that he wants to be victorious

rather than crushed