The strange benefits of temptation

According to Luke’s gospel, after being anointed with the Spirit (3:22), Jesus is now “full of the Holy Spirit” and “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” to be tempted (4:1-13). Why was this event important for Luke’s reader? The lengthy genealogy and wilderness setting portrayed by Luke evoke images of Adam and Israel’s disobedience and their failure to resist temptation. For the reader, these allusions are contrasted by the victory of Jesus as God’s faithful Son.

 

The story brings out a faith dilemma for modern Christians: Why does God allow Satan to tempt us?

The biblical writers did not sharply distinguish between tests and temptations. We often separate these as if they are different experiences. However, the biblical writers had no problem using one word to mean tests in one verse and then using the very same word to mean temptations just a few verses later.

Temptations are a normal part of the Christian life. They are part of God’s curriculum for us. Either you are in one now, you are just ending one, or you are getting ready for the next one (Amen?!).

God seems to present us before a test/temptation so that by following him and by trusting his Word in those circumstances we become stronger. Our faith is confirmed and we become an example to other people of victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Because of this, we would do well to recognize when we are in a temptation, especially when Satan’s comments are like those said to Jesus: “If you are…” Here are some I have learned to recognize along with some scriptural responses:

1. “If that is what Christians are like this, why bother? You are a better person than they are.”

a. It is written: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Prov. 3:34); Have mercy on me Lord, a sinner (Luke 18:13); Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners of whom I am the worst (1 Tim. 1:15).

2. “God is silent to you. It seems you are on your own.”

a. It is written: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Heb. 13:5)

3. “God helps those who help themselves. You need to do something now!”

a. It is written: They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isa. 40:31)

4. “Maybe all this “faith” stuff is a little immature. Perhaps it’s time to put away childish things and take responsibility for your own life.”

a. It is written: “Lord, to whom else shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

5. “You need to keep building your qualifications, accomplishments, and reputation. That’s the only way to get the respect of your church leaders.”

a. It is written: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ (Phil. 4:7-9); Am I now trying to win human approval, or God’s approval? (Gal. 1:10)

6. “You’ll have time to focus on your spiritual life later. It’s time to make relationships with those who can further your career. Besides, you won’t be affected by their questionable ethics. That’s what you can look back on and be proud of.”

a. It is written: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (Ps. 84:10)

7. “Look at all you have invested in your education, your connections, and your accomplishments. You deserve more reward than this.”

a. It is written: Those who love money never have money enough; though who love wealth are never satisfied with their income (Eccl. 5:10); the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10).

The strange prosperity of the ungodly 1

A frequent strategy in my teaching is to contrast the Christian life with the worldly life. Aspects of our struggle with worldliness always seem to arise. This often causes a faith dilemma for those who trust in God’s goodness but also witness an odd disparity in lifestyle with some of those who dismiss God but are quite wealthy.  The dilemma leads to the question: why should the people who reject God be better off than those who trust Him?

This situation reminds me of the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses”, which refers to the comparisons people draw to their neighbours as a benchmark for social or financial success. Their homes, cars, clothes, and other possessions are the evidence of such success. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as inferiority.

In Psalm 73, Asaph describes his mental and emotional struggle when he compared his life as one committed to the LORD with the lives of his acquaintances who did not put God first. It causes him deep discouragement:

¹ Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.

² But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

³ For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

⁴ They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.

⁵ They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.

⁶ They wear pride like a jewelled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.

The evidence before Asaph challenged him to his very core. Is godly living a joke? Were the irreligious and ungodly enjoying the only real goodness available? Was he missing out on the actual “good life”? He goes on to describe this:

¹² Look at these wicked people—enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

¹³ Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?

¹⁴ I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

¹⁵ If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.

¹⁶ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!

Consider the parallels today:

• A single Christian remains lonely while their promiscuous friend never seems to be without a romantic relationship.
• An ambitious co-worker who “doctors” reports and curries favour receives a promotion while an honest man of integrity is laid off.
• A wealthy celebrity retains legions of adoring fans despite blatant acts of irresponsibility and disregard for the law.
• An incompetent politician is elected to office because of their charisma then proceeds to mismanage the budget and dole out patronage appointments.

How can we learn to nurture our desire for God and his ways? Especially when there’s such an onslaught of messages, desirable material goods, relationships, and influences around us every day. What a difficult task this is!

So typical…

The strange silence of God 2

The silence or hiddenness of God touches questions such as: why does prayer seem to go unanswered? Why does there seem to be no apparent progress on his plan or promises? Why has Jesus not returned yet?

Probably, the most personal question is “What do I do during these times?”

This hiddenness is actually a key part of a biblical worldview. Peter comments in his first letter that certain trials come into our life to “prove the genuineness of our faith”, which he explains is of greater worth than gold. This genuine faith, he says, “…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

I don’t fully understand why God chooses to hide himself at times, but I do know that even Jesus experienced it. Shortly before he died, Christ apparently sensed an abrupt loss of the communion with the Father and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). But no answer came.

I also know, and is so good to remember, that God’s silence to his only Son was a part of his plan for the good of all humankind. God’s silence does not indicate his absence; he is probably watching and listening more intently.

The strange silence of God 1

A conundrum is a problem that has no obvious or easy answer. Such as: why is there no other word for “synonym”? Or, why is “abbreviation” such a long word? Or, why did they have to make the word “lisping” sound like you are lisping?

Here’s an important one: why doesn’t God communicate more? Or as the psalmist said, “Why, O LORD, do You stand afar off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10:1). The natural assumption is that if things are going well, God loves us, and if things are going poorly, God must be upset with us. After all, we are all, by nature, theologians of glory instead of theologians of the cross.

Our ways are often directly opposite to God’s ways. He likes concealment - we like display. He does not crave outward manifestations - we often cannot be content without them. These can bring great trials to us. For some, it can be a deal-breaker.

The writer of Ps. 77, Asaph, was one of King David’s three chief musicians, and the author of Pss. 50 and 73–82. In this psalm, Asaph is deeply troubled over something I call the strange silence of God, demonstrated in the defining questions: “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?” (vv. 7-9).

This psalm is his journey from despair to comfort. The flow of thought has been described as passing through four stages: Sighing (vv. 1–3); Sinking (vv. 4–9); Singing (vv. 10–15); to Soaring (vv. 16–20). Asaph evidently was seeking some specific help from God but the Lord was oddly aloof. This caused Asaph considerable stress, yet gradually he finds comfort in meditating on the ways God has displayed his great power and gentle care in the past.

This psalm doe not provide an answer for what theologians call the “hiddenness of God.” Rather, Asaph displays honesty with a common experience and learns a way to endure the strange silence of God.  This reflects the phrase “Occupation with self brings distress; Occupation with circumstances brings discouragement; Occupation with Christ brings delight.”

First Grade drawing

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for her homework assignment:

The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.
She returned to school the next day with the following note:
Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration.
It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm.
This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Harrington

Change is overrated

I read this anonymous quote several months ago: “Change can be overrated. Sometimes people get frustrated when it seems that we constantly have to embrace change; just as things are working, we need to change again.”

I was once asked at a job interview if I liked change. I don’t think it’s helpful to think about change from such a closed-ended perspective. Change is not inherently good to all contexts. In entrepreneurial or reform contexts, change is to be expected because there is an experimental aspect to the conditions as we are trying to find out what works. On the other hand, change comes with a price such as loss of stability or familiarity which takes a toll on people’s confidence and job satisfaction.

A few years ago I was a part of leading a Bible college through an accreditation process and name change. There is a lot at stake in changing these types of educational contexts. Relationship loyalties, pride in past leadership decisions, and faithfulness to God and his leading are all value-laden issues involved. We revisited the following quote often during this process: “People can move into the future best when they can take some of the past with them. But if they do take some of the past, it should be the best of the past.”

Learning is one of the best things to take from the past into the future. If something didn’t work or is no longer effective, we must learn why and communicate that with gentleness rather than harshness. I have found that managing people’s attitudes about the change is the most difficult aspect – including my own.