Holidays are always the toughest time to watch what you eat. So many tempting goodies at the family gatherings. Thanksgiving is tough because the celebration is focused on a meal, so there's no distractions!
I think I did really well on Thursday. We had dinner at Scott's parents house, which is always good. I tried to stick to turkey (not hard as it was delicious) and avoid or limit the other things like potatoes, gravy etc. My downfall was when we went to the Thompson's for dessert!
Mrs. Thompson always provides a great selection, but I have a real weakness for her pumpkin roll - it's the best. (It's like a swiss roll, but it has cream cheese filling and pumpkin flavored cake - so good!!) I was able to stop at 3 pieces (I think) and then stopped completely!
All my good work went to waste though the rest of the weekend. Saturday night we went to a friends birthday party where the snacks were desserts! A chocolate fountain and a range of dipping treats - I had to sample everything at least once! Then the cake came, and I confess I drizzled it with melted chocolate - don't judge me!!
Then yesterday at Ashley's baby shower there were countless eclairs, cream puffs, cheese cake and more. We sampled a few while setting up - well, we didn't have time for lunch!
And herein lies my problem (and I know I'm not alone) - I hate to turn down deliciousness when it's right there in front of me. And then I feel regret when my jeans get a little snug! I was doing so well since I quit pumping, because Scott is so good at sticking to his no-carb plan.
It might seem like a funny situation, even silly, but it's a very real struggle. It's often not limited to food, sometimes people have the same issue with things like gadgets, or even relationships!!
It is difficult to resist temptation when you focus on only the here and now, or maybe refuse to look ahead and set goals. After all, if you don't want to lose weight/save for something better/work on your relationship, why would you even think of saying no.
Matthew 4
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “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.’ ”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
I don't think we really believe that God knows what temptation is like, and so we don't trust Him for help. However, Jesus indeed faced incredible temptation from Satan himself!
The first temptation seems pretty simple.
But there's another subtle temptation here, as well. The devil slyly begins, "If you are the Son of God...." He's basically saying to Jesus, "You may not be the Son of God at all. Prove it to me by doing this minor miracle." When we're new at any role -- not to mention Messiahship -- we feel insecure. And when someone taunts us and doubts our role we're very tempted to SHOW THEM, to prove it. This is the temptation to pride, to prove ourselves to others -- and, in our insecurity, to ourselves as well.
There's nothing wrong with meeting physical needs -- food, shelter, love, companionship, sex -- by legitimate means. But there is a higher law than our physical desires, and that is God's Word.
Jesus' point is that physical needs must be met God's way, not our own selfish, short-cut way. We're tempted, of course, to steal, to cheat, to fornicate, to lie, to provide a quick fix for our physical hungers. God is able to supply our needs, but we must wait on him and seek to do things his way. Just because we CAN work miracles doesn't mean we should in any given circumstance. Bread -- physical fulfillment -- is not more important than God's Word and way.
The second temptation is to authority and worldly glory. Satan claims both ownership of and the power to bestow political power and material wealth and splendor. It's interesting that Jesus doesn't question it. Satan isn't able to draw him into an argument that God alone is sovereign and Satan's power is usurped from its rightful owner -- though Jesus' answer hints at this. Arguing with Satan makes the tempted person even more vulnerable.
If you've ever been near the pinnacle of political or corporate power, you know that temptations to compromise are abundant and the stakes are high.
Can a person live in the business or political arena and retain his integrity? Yes, but not without facing and passing the kind of tests that Jesus met in the desert. Part of the lie is that Satan alone controls power and material rewards, and that the only way to reach them is the devil's way. But this IS a lie. The other way is to trust God and serve him in good times and bad, relying on him to exalt you if that is his will. Jesus teaches, "No one can serve two masters ... You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24).
The devil said to Jesus, "If you worship me, it will all be yours."
Probably Jesus didn't have to fully prostrate himself. These days kissing one's ring, or a handshake, or eye contact and a subtle nod of the head can indicate the same kind of submission. Satan would grant power and wealth to Jesus instantly if only Jesus would accept it from him. But the strings accompanying such a gift would be like steel cables enslaving Jesus to the devil forever.
We understand the temptation. We live in the present, we want instant gratification. We would rather get our rewards now and worry later about the future. Does this describe you? What is the balance on your credit cards?
Jesus answers with Scripture he had doubtless learned as a boy: "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only' " (4:8; Deuteronomy 6:13). Our God is a jealous God. We are not free agents in the world, picking or choosing between world powers to align our tiny selves with. We must choose the Lord our God or be sucked irresistibly into the orbit of the devil's minions. If we don't worship the Lord we are lost.
Jesus knew that power was important to his mission as Messiah. But it must be power bestowed by his Father in due time. His was the hard way to glory -- through the cross and grave and resurrection. But in due time the Father exalted him to the highest place, the place that he deserved as God's equal (Philippians 2:6), and to the position in which he is publicly proclaimed before heaven and earth (Philippians 2:9-11). It took longer than Satan's way, but there was no bitter aftertaste. Jesus resisted the quick fix, and took his Father's path.
I think that Jesus' third temptation is for popularity.
"The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple" (4:9). A vision or a physical event? A vision, I think. Jesus was physically in the desert. But the vision is no less tempting to those acquainted with virtual reality. Now the devil quotes Scripture to Jesus from Psalm 91:11-12. Satan's implication is that if Jesus were to jump off the temple to the pavement far below, he wouldn't be injured -- angels would catch him, a kind of celestial bungee jump. The effect on observers in the temple, however, would be startling, the ultimate PR stunt. The visible miracle of one walked away from mortal injury. Jesus would be instantly famous, and perhaps would be acclaimed Messiah on the spot.
I don't think that the excitement of risking danger was Jesus' temptation. Rather it was the lure of popularity and public recognition. This is similar to the lure of power and material wealth, but it appeals even more directly to personal pride and self-exaltation.
Jesus could choose the path of humility or pride. He chose humility.
Jesus answered the devil with the words of Deuteronomy 6:16: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." In other words, do not take some action that forces God's hand, that seeks to manipulate God to do what he otherwise would not wish to do.
At the human level, we see manipulation constantly. We can't get our spouse to do something we want? Take an action that leaves him no other choice. Force her to bail you out, since the alternative is unimaginable. Force people to say nice things about you by your own carefully chosen words of self-deprecation. Force people to see you as a philanthropist by visible gifts to charitable causes. The forms of manipulation are innumerable and often so subtle that unless we are self-aware, we may almost fool ourselves. Too often, we try to manipulate God, too, with bargains and deals. We need to take seriously Jesus' words, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
(Click here for more of this study.)
As I read, and pasted, the above look at Jesus's temptation I was reminded of one of the sessions from our bible study, which you can watch here:
Perhaps the key to resisting the excessive eating I so often do, and other temptations is to recognize them for what they are - temptations that seek to derail us from God's will for our lives. After all, if I am stuck in a cycle of eating>depression>eating etc, I'm so focused on myself that I can not give proper consideration to God's purpose for my life!
Emma brought it to me, hands behind her back. "I've got a present for you Mummy, you have to close your eyes" - she knows how to lay it on for a surprise!!
Emma brought it to me, hands behind her back. "I've got a present for you Mummy, you have to close your eyes" - she knows how to lay it on for a surprise!!
That's right - the last picture is Scott, with very blonde hair! Toby looks so much like Scott in this picture that when Emma saw it she said "Aww, it's Toby!"
