God in the Wild - Part 3
Join us as we journey with Jesus as he is tested in the wilderness.
Luke 4:5-8
“What’s the true cost?'“
Is it financial? Is it just an hour or two here and there? Perhaps it’s one too many relationships sacrificed? In the second temptation that Jesus encounters, the Devil effectively offers Jesus a way of attaining the work of the Cross without much work at all. Or so it would seem. On the surface, many of us would look at this proposal and think it’s pretty good deal. In our own lives it might look as simple as work an extra hour or two at the expense of time with family. Or compromise on some values in order to attain that higher paying job. Perhaps even taking on a new personality in order to attain some idealized version of ourselves. In every case, we’re been offered a counterfeit version of the true thing that we desire in life. This temptation becomes all the more difficult when we find ourselves in the “wilderness” as Jesus is. Using scripture, Jesus is able to see past the counterfeit version of what the enemy offers and keeps in mind the true purpose of his calling, which is to be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of many. He knows that it is only through taking the more difficult path of the Cross that he is able to attain the true version of what he truly wants, which is an authentic relationship with you and me. For most of us, worship might seem like a pitiful thing to give up in order to get what we want. But to Jesus, He knows that it’s through these small everyday mundane decisions that a true relationship is built.
Study Questions:
What does your everyday worship look like to you?
When we think of our long-term goals and the everyday decisions that point towards them, how does Jesus’ example of choosing the Cross change or challenge our approach?
In what ways has Jesus challenged you to take the “hard way” to achieve your goals in life?
During the season of Lent, what areas of your life is God teaching you the rewards of “delayed gratification”?
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32
