Looking For A Life Hack
I love YouTube. I’ve learned a ton watching videos. I’ve learned how to fix and replace our garbage disposal. I’ve learned how to fix our dishwasher. I’ve learned how to fix things on our car. I’ve learned how to replace a lawnmower blade. Basically, I used YouTube to learn how to “adult.” Years ago, I used YouTube to teach myself about the ins and outs of photography, Lightroom, and audio/video recording. YouTube is a great tool to figure things out!
YouTube is also great if you’re looking for a “hack.” You can search anything and find a hack. Like, “How to grow your Instagram to 300,000 followers in 30 days.” Or, “How to learn how to play guitar in two weeks.” Ok, I made that one up. But if you’re looking for a life hack or a quick fix for something, I’m sure someone made a video that is now getting over a million views.
We’ve all looked for a life hack at one time or another… Or at least wished for a life hack to get to be where we wanna be bigger, stronger, better… you know faster. But this isn’t usually the case. There isn’t a life hack for you know… real life. It’s true for us. And it was true for Jesus as well. Check this out:
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. – Mark 1:12-13
Pause. Pause. Pause. Did you see the length of time Jesus was in the wilderness tempted by Satan!? Forty days. Four. Zero. 40. This wasn’t a pit stop. There was no life hack to get through this time. Jesus spent forty days by Himself, among wild animals, with Satan himself tempting Jesus.
I’m no wilderness guy. I’ve never been tent-camping. And the only time I want to see wild animals is at the zoo. And honestly, I don’t really like visiting a zoo either. Forty days! Um, no thank you. I would have been like, “Yo God, can’t we just skip this part and get to the good stuff. You know, like healing people. Raising people from the dead. Maybe You and I could maybe roll up to a party and turn some water into wine!” But Jesus didn’t say any of that. He simply walked into the wilderness where Satan tried his hardest to get Jesus to fall. The Gospel of Mark doesn’t give us all the deets of the temptation of Jesus. But two other Gospels do. Check out the Gospel of Luke:
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. – Luke 4:1-13
You see, Jesus was specifically tempted in three separate areas of his life:
- Physical needs
- Power and authority
- Pride and testing God
Do these areas feel familiar? Satan specifically tempted Jesus in these three areas. Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger after fasting for 40 days (Luke 4:3). This temptation focuses on meeting His physical needs in a way that is self-serving. Secondly, Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offers Him authority over them if He just worships the Satan (Luke 4:5-7). This temptation focuses on the desire for power and control. And third, Satan takes Jesus to the very top of the temple and tempts Him to throw Himself down, challenging Him to test God's protection by quoting Scripture (Psalm 91) (Luke 4:9-11). This temptation revolves around testing God's faithfulness.
Did you see what happened in verses 10-11? Satan himself quotes Scripture. The dude is tricky. Satan knows Scripture. But he used it out of context to try to get Jesus to not only doubt God’s faithfulness, but to take His life into His own hands. And Satan tries to do the same thing to each one of us. Sure, it doesn’t necessarily look like this. But Satan most certainly tempts us in the area of our physical needs. Maybe you’re married and you feel like your husband or wife isn’t meeting your physical needs. But that guy or girl you work with will. Satan wants us to give in to our selfish needs. Or maybe it’s in the area of power and control. We see this playing out all over the place in the world… maybe even right in our own home. This most presents itself in the area of a negative attitude, constant complaining. Why? Because we aren’t the ones in control. Or maybe we’ve seen it in the area of pride or testing God. I’m taking my life into my own hands. Things suck now. God’s obviously not real. So I’m doing things my way because I know best for me!
Here's the thing… Jesus was tempted in all the same areas that you and I are tempted, and He didn’t give in to Satan’s temptations. Why? Three reasons… Check them out and then we’re done:
First, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t overcome temptation based upon His own effort; He had the Spirit to rely upon. Check out Luke 1:1 - Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.
This is the first and most important thing to walk away with from this blog post! If you are not full of the Holy Spirit, you cannot begin to resist the temptations Satan brings your way. Facts. No question or doubt about it. Our lives are being constantly lived within an unseen spiritual battle.
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. – Galatians 5:17
Listen. Listen. Listen. The only way to be full of the Holy Spirit and to want what the Spirit wants… The only way to begin to have a chance to overcome the temptations of Satan is to give our life to Jesus.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. – Galatians 5:24
Secondly, Jesus wasn’t full of excuses. Check out Luke 1:2b - Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
This is something I can relate to… being hungry. There have been times where I’ve been so hungry that I become “hangry.” In fact, my daughter has called me out multiple times saying, “Man, someone’s hangry.” And you know what, it’s always true. When I get overly hungry there are times where I give in to my sinful emotive flesh and let my “hanger” take control and I make excuses it’s because I’m hungry. You see, even after we’ve given our life to Christ, Satan will still try to tempt us. And there will be a time where we will have to choose… Will we choose to not give in, or will we make some excuse as to why we should give in to the temptation in front of us? Because here’s the thing, there will always be a ready excuse that we think justifies us for giving in to the temptation.
So, to recap… One, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. That’s the first step in being able to overcome temptation. Two, Jesus didn’t make excuses. Excuses will always be available to try and justify why we gave in.
And third, Jesus was filled with Scripture. Over and over again we see in each instance of Jesus’ response to Satan’s temptation, “The Scriptures say…” We see it in Luke 1:4, 8, and 12. Jesus lived and breathed the Word of God. He studied and knew the Scriptures. When He was tempted, He quoted Scripture back to Satan in response. It was His weapon to overcome Satan’s temptation. If this was Jesus’ weapon to overcome Satan, how much more should it be our weapon in response to the attacks of Satan!
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. – Hebrews 4:12
The Bible, the Word of God is alive… It’s powerful. Jesus knew this. It’s why He quoted it in response to the attacks of Satan. And when we read the Word of God… When we study it… When we memorize it… It lives within us, changes us from the inside out, and gives us the help we need to resist the temptations we face every day. The Scriptures were a source of life to Jesus. And when we read them and internalize them, they become life, the very air we breathe in our very own life.
Here's the thing, if we want change in our life… If we want change in our children’s lives… If we want change in our marriage… It starts and ends with Jesus and the powerful Word of God. Nothing more. Nothing less. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t full of excuses. And Jesus filled Himself with Scripture. This is the path to overcoming temptation and living a joy-filled life.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Corinthians 10:13
One Day
“One day…” Two simple words. Six letters in all. Just about two weeks ago we dropped off our son Carter at Liberty University for his… Sophomore. Year. Of. College. It seems like it was just the other day that Jami and I were saying, “One day we’ll be dropping Carter off at college” as he was starting high school. Our youngest, Morgan, is entering her senior year of high school. One day very soon we’ll be dropping her off at college too. If you’re in any stage of parenting you know, or you’ll soon come to understand, that the days are long, but the years are short. I can’t remember who said it, but it’s true.
One day
We’ve all said these words at one time or another. We see these two words show up in Scripture as well. Check this out:
“One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” (Mark 1:9-11 New Living Translation)
You see, this day, this one day went from being ordinary to extraordinary. The day we dropped our son off at college and drove home ten and a half hours away went from being a typically normal day to an extraordinary day. It was anything but normal! And this day, the day when Jesus went from being an unknown carpenter to starting His public ministry was anything but normal.
One day
We’ve all had these “one day” moments. Some of these one-day moments are crazy amazing and great. Some of these one-day moments come and they are some of the most horrible moments of our lives. And no matter what kind of one-day moments we’ve had, we can all learn from this one day when Jesus appeared on the scene.
First, Jesus arrived humbly. Check this out:
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:9)
This is Jesus arriving on the scene ya’ll. This was His first public appearance. You’d think that His entrance would be more hype. Afterall, He had spent years in Nazareth preparing for this moment. You’d think it would’ve started with a cool hype video, then His hype men would’ve come out first to get the crowd… you know… HYPE! But it wasn’t like that at all. Instead of Jesus arriving on the scene and start baptizing the probable thousands waiting, He instead humbly let John baptize Him. This, of course, fits the nature of who Jesus is. He was born in a barn around animals. He lived in Nazareth. He grew up and worked as a carpenter. Jesus walked in humility His entire life up unto this point. And His first public appearance would be no different. Jesus’ first act within His public ministry was to humbly submit to God, His Father, in obedience.
This act of humble obedience to God was done as a sign of fulfilled prophecy, and more importantly to identify with you and I. Jesus, who was without sin, was identifying with us so that He could represent you and I as He would eventually hang on the cross. This baptism is a symbol of commitment and surrender. In essence, Jesus was publicly committing to His mission.
Second, God recognizes His Son. Check this out:
As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:10)
This must have been a crazy sight to see! The heavens literally being split apart. Typically, when the heavens open it is usually a sign that God is about to speak or do something so that we can get a glimpse at His purposes. This sight of the heavens splitting apart is a sign that God is about to do something amazing! The Old Testament prophet this very thing…
“Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1)
This prayer of Isaiah was fully answered in this one day. Not only did the heavens split apart, but the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Jesus. Can you imagine being at the Jordan River in this moment? Not only did everyone who was there see this take place, but Jesus Himself also saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend. Listen. Listen. Listen. Jesus not only saw the glory of God in this moment. He could also see the suffering He would experience three years later. Yet He would still go through with everything in obedience to the Father’s will for the restoration of humanity… for the possibility that you and I could be restored back to the Father through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. And so too, we through Scripture and the testimony of others can see the victory and glory both for the future and now as we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
And third, Jesus received His Father’s love. Check this out:
“And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” Mark 1:11
God the Father let Jesus know, and everyone else in earshot and those who can read Scripture now, that despite having taken on human flesh and coming as a humble servant, He still loved Him. This love of God the Father for Jesus makes His love for us possible. God declared from the heavens His love for Jesus. And as this voice from heaven spoke to Jesus one day, this voice from heaven still speaks to each of us today through Scripture, the Bible. The Word of God, the Bible, Scripture, is the voice of God speaking to each one of us today. We can trust it. We can depend on it. What it says is true. When God spoke to Jesus that one day, it was significant. And when God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, it’s still significant today. This great joy that God the Father has in Jesus, is the reason we have hope today.
“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Ephesians 1:6)
So what does this mean for each of us? It means that because Jesus arrived humbly… Because God recognized and loved Jesus as His Son… And because received His Father’s love… we have the possibility to experience new life that makes us whole if we give our lives to Jesus, the one who gave His life so that we might have life. So why not make this the one day an amazing day by transforming your life through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the cleansing of your sin by the grace of God?
Listen. Listen. Listen. There is a danger in trying to live your life by your own rules. Jesus’ baptism is His recognition that He was submitting to His Fathers will. The greatest gift you can ever receive is to humble yourself… Recognize Jesus as God’s Son… And to receive God’s love by trusting in Jesus as the One who saves your soul and gives you new life.
Make this one day, your day.
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” (Romans 6:4)