Be a Lupine: Victory Series, Part 27 (Temptation)
We were heading towards Milford Sound in New Zealand, a place
where rain is so abundant, that on some days, it rains more than 537 mm.
Although I was looking forward to discovering the beauty associated with this
rain, I sure did miss the sunshine!
As we were driving along Hwy 94, my heart suddenly skipped a beat. To my left
were fields full of millions of lupines in full bloom, right along the creek!
The mountains were visible in the distance, and despite the rain that continued
to spill onto our windshield, I started to smile. Lupines are good at
brightening a rainy day. At least for me!
We didn't realize at the time that lupines grow abundantly all over New Zealand.
In fact, the locals call them "nasty weeds". All I knew was that they sure
worked to beautify the surroundings!
I made a discovery then. I realized that my passion for exploration is not so
much to discover new lands, but rather, to discover the depth and breadth of
God's amazing love. No matter where I go, I discover His presence. Although sin
abounds everywhere, His grace abounds even more. Just look at the splendors of
His nature in our fallen world. This is true grace! Wow! God is truly awesome!
Speaking of sin, we can discover a lot about ourselves and about God in the
middle of temptation. Jesus was not exempt from this, and when we study his
journey through temptation, the first thing we realize is that we are going to
hunger: "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." (Matt 4:2
NIV)
This is a completely normal part of life. Jesus' hunger authenticates our own.
We all are going to hunger sooner or later. The evil one takes advantage of this
hunger, and at our weakest moment, he approaches us with the following message:
"You don't have to stay hungry, there are alternatives."
"The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones
to become bread.'" (Matt 4:3 NIV)
Yes, there are alternatives, but these alternatives sour when we stop trusting
the Almighty! They will never ever provide us with what we most profoundly want
and need. They are fakes! They are frauds!
Jesus' response? "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matt 4:4 NIV) In other words, these
alternatives are not real life! The sooner we realize this, the sooner we are
better off!
Would you like to go for a trek through the mountainous regions of Milford Sound
with me? Take your raincoat! You will most certainly need it! Just imagine
climbing the surrounding mountains for a couple of days.
The good news is that we won't ever get thirsty! The bad news is that I forgot
to pack lunches! But don't worry. As soon as we are back to civilization, why
don't I treat you to a bag of Jaffes (candy coated chocolate balls)!
What? Not interested? It may make you sick, you say? Come on!
OK, then let's go to an all-we-can-eat ice-cream parlor! My youngest son sure
would like that!
Still not good enough? What's the matter? Are these not tantalizing choices?
Not really, not when we are really starving for the real thing. A good steak
with fries would hit the spot for most of you, and I would be satisfied with an
plate of Thai vegetables and steamed rice. But the nutritionally-deprived foods
we would not be really interested in, as they would most certainly make us sick.
They do not satisfy our real cravings.
Knowing full well what we really desire, we will react to any of these frauds
with a hearty laugh, just as Jesus did.
"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the
firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle
on what we can't see." (Heb 11:1 The Message)
Will you help me plant some lupines in the backyard?
Rob Chaffart