Three tests of faith

I've begun reading Matthew's gospel in the morning.  Today the first part of my reading was where Satan came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Have also been looking at Hebrews recently where it says that Jesus our great high priest has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin.  At the beginning of Matthew chapter four we see three of those temptations.  I think you could put these temptations into three categories.  The first temptation Satan says, "if you are the Son of God, tell the stones to become bread." The basic temptation is for Jesus to be his own boss.  Not to live in faithful obedience, but to put his own desires before loving trust of his Father.  Satan's second temptation is for Jesus to throw himself from the temple.  Satan quotes the Scriptures saying God will not let him be hurt.  He is of course twisting the Scriptures to his own ends. He is tempting Jesus to disbelieve God's word.  His third temptation is to receive power over all the world the easy way.  It is Jesus inheritance by his resurrection from the dead, but Satan offers it to him without the need of the cross. 

This year no doubt we will each be tempted to be our own boss, to disbelieve what God says, and to take the easy way out.  It is a great comfort to know that Jesus stood up under these temptations.  That he lived a sinless life so that he might deal with our sin for us on the cross.  When we fall we have a saviour.  It is also good to know the truth of the later scripture that says, "resist the devil and he will flee from you." Here Jesus resists the devil by keeping his eyes on his Father in heaven.  As we look to our Father in heaven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we will discover that there is a way out from under every temptation.  Let us pray for grace to stand in the face of the devil schemes and after we have done everything still to stand.