Chapter 4 brought some interesting facts to light in my mind.
When Satan tempted Jesus, he intentionally targeted three of the most basic human desires. The need for food, security and power.
The first temptation was the easiest. Jesus had not eaten for forty days and forty nights. He then felt the extreme pangs of hunger. This was perfect timing for Satan to offer a tantalizing temptation, as he did for Adam and Eve - eat!
Food is a basic necessity for humans; it is the first need identified in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Jesus put it into perspective, though. He said that is not the most important, the Word of God is the most basic need. (Matthew 4:4)
The devil next offered security, safety. That's Maslow's second hierarchical need. We are under God's protection and provision. He has us covered. But we must not step out of His Will and test Him. Here Jesus responds with just that. We are not to test, tempt or try the Lord. Just follow His Will and keep within the safety of His Plan, He'll take care of the rest. You can trust Him!
The last temptation is the most obvious evil - power. It is the desire for power that causes the majority of the ills within our world. As James very succinctly puts it:
James 4:1-2 NIV What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
But Jesus gets it right again - We only need to worship God, make Him number one in our life, desire only what He desires for us, put Him in the center of our lives. We cannot go wrong if we listen to the greatest command of all:
Matthew 22:37 NIV Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."
Let the Word of God nourish you, trust God for all of your needs, and make Him the center of your life. Then we reach what Maslow considers the top level of our hierarchical needs: Peak Experiences. There is no greater "high" than personally experiencing God!
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This is absolutely true and convicting - because it's true. When are we going to stop living for worldly desires and lusts when they are not what we need. People get confused about their priorities - they think something is important when worldly lusts bring only emptiness and satisfaction that lasts only but a fleeting moment. They only need to drink from the springs of living waters.
ReplyDelete- Psalm 17:15
"And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."