Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭I John‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Temptation shows up in many different ways, but its roots usually trace back to three core struggles mentioned in our parallel verses: 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes, and 3) the pride of life.

Having already been tempted by the lust of the flesh (his need for food) and by the desire for power and to show off (jumping and committing suicide and trusting God to save him), Satan now brings a different type of temptation. It is in the category of the pride of life: he offers Jesus the ability to be ruler over all, free rein to do whatever he wants, to wield power, to take whatever he wants, and to amass great wealth and fame.

This dream opportunity sounds pretty good, right? It is like someone incredibly wealthy, such as Bill Gates or Elon Musk, coming along and saying, “I will make you second in command of my house. You will have access to any and every thing you want. I even have every conceivable backup plan for any disaster that befalls man. Just make serving me your number-one passion in life.”

Jesus saw through this mirage and knew that God defines worth and value in life. Any earthly promise is fleeting, because life can end at any time and liars like Satan are not good at keeping their promises. The only thing that lasts for eternity is doing the will of God.

Oh, how my heart aches for those I see who pursue the pleasures of this world instead of the will of God. They say, “God wants me to be happy, right?” or, “I’m living my best life, being my best self.” The only problem is … their focus is on themselves and the immediate pleasure and rewards this world has to offer.

It is time to wake up and quit fooling around! God is sovereign! He is in charge. We either do his will, surrender to his plan for our lives, and obey him, or we perish. There is no middle ground. We must resist the devil with the Word of God … and HE WILL FLEE!

Lord, keep me humble, loyal to you, and obedient to your ways. You love me and want the best for my life. Help me to know how to challenge and encourage my friends and neighbors best!