After the devil's first defeat when
tempting Jesus, he looked at Him with a crooked smile and uttered with despise:
"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (Matt 4:6 NIV)
In other words, he wanted Jesus to show proof that God cares for Him!
Isn't that typical of the devil! How many times has he
not gone after us with the same tactic: "Does God really love you?" Doubt always
pervades his questions. It doesn't matter whether or not we fall into his
initial temptations. In fact, if we remain strong, it motivates the devil even
more to try to
bring us down!
If we are 100% honest with ourselves, we will realize
that at one time or another each
one of us has doubted this very concept.
Sometimes this is precipitated by the fact that we have been waiting for God's
intervention for so long. In this situation it isn't hard to fall into the
temptation of wondering if God even remember we existent. The devil delights in
this, and he throws fuel on the fire of our own doubts. I can hear just him
sneer: "He, he, he. He will soon be mine!"
But Jesus' response was matter-of-factly: "It is also
written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matt 4:7 NIV) Or, in
plain English, "I don't need to prove that God cares for Me!"
When will we realize that God's love is not measured
by our good fortune! We can't judge God for our own mistakes, and we can't
bargain with God to have a better deal. This kind of misconstrued manipulation
cannot help us prove to ourselves whether or not He cares. In fact, more often
than not, this kind of thinking leads us onto sinking ground!
Jesus is clear: God cares. It's a fact.
In case of doubt, go to the cross. There all doubt is
automatically removed: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John
3:16 NIV)
When I went scuba diving for the first time at Poor
Knights Islands in New Zealand, I was warned that my brain would scream out that
breathing under water was impossible. That kind of doubt has kept many onlookers
from experiencing the joys of diving.
However, despite what our brains scream, diving opens
up another world when, thanks to the heavy apparatus on our backs, we go ahead
and breathe under water. For a moment we stand still, trying to take in the
beauty of the underwater world, and doubt is completely removed out of our
minds. We are experiencing that breathing under water is, indeed, possible.
A few years ago, I suffering jet leg for months on
end. Every night I would wake up at 12:30 am and be awake until 3:30 am. I was
clearly exhausted, yet I still had to make a living. My mind screamed to me (Or
was it the evil one?) that
it was impossible to survive my workday, especially with the thirty-five
screaming kids in my classroom.
For once I stood up and declared: "What is impossible
with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27 NIV) I was literally hanging on to
God's promises, and my eyes opened to an out-of-this-world experience. Not only
was I able to teach these kids, but my dependence to God became so close that my
teaching improved hundredfold. If we take the time and effort to rely completely
on God, there is no way that we can doubt His love and mercy!
The following text became my reality: "Those who hope
in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they
will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isa 40:31 NIV)
When doubt invades our soul, it is time that we
revisit and contemplate the cross. Only then can we reply to the evil one with a
big broad smile: "God loves me! Look what He has done for me!"
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.