Better to Suffer Than to Yield to Temptation

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Better to Suffer Than to Yield to Temptation

Today's Text: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

The Message:      The duel between Christ and Satan was fought in the wilderness, Christ with apparently not a friend to aid Him. Satan was subtle; falsehood is his stock in trade. With all the power that he possessed he tried to overcome the humanity of Christ....      Satan charmed the first Adam by his sophistry, just as he charms men and women today, leading them to believe a lie. Adam did not reach above his humanity for divine power; he believed the words of Satan. But the second Adam was not to become the enemy's bond slave.      Adam had the advantage over Christ in that, when he was assailed by the tempter, none of the effects of sin were upon him. He stood in the strength of perfect manhood, possessing the full vigor of mind and body. He was surrounded with the glories of Eden and was in daily communion with heavenly beings. It was not thus with Jesus when He entered the wilderness to cope with Satan....      Every device that the enemy could suggest was brought against Him. It was when Christ was in a weakened condition, after His long fast of forty days, that the wisest of the fallen angels used the most enticing words at his command in an effort to compel the mind of Christ to yield to his mind.... "If thou be the Son of God," he said, "show thy power by relieving thyself of this pressing hunger.""Command that these stones be made bread."...      When Christ said to Satan, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," He repeated the words that, more than fourteen hundred years before, He had spoken to Israel. [Deuteronomy 8:3, quoted].      In the wilderness, when all means of sustenance failed, God sent His people manna from heaven; and a sufficient and constant supply was given. This provision was to teach them that while they trusted in God and walked in His ways, He would not forsake them. The Saviour now practiced the lesson He had taught to Israel. By the word of God succor had been given to the Hebrew host, and by the same word it would be given to Jesus. He awaited God's time to bring relief. He was in the wilderness in obedience to God, and He would not obtain food by following the suggestions of Satan. In the presence of the witnessing universe, He testified that it is a lesser calamity to suffer whatever may befall than to depart in any manner from the will of God.-Manuscript 113, 1902.

Commentary: My friend, in our battle to overcome sin, it is better for us to suffer for want of temporal needs than to yield to temptation, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" (2 Corinthians 4:17).  The trials and struggles that we face here on this earth are only temporary, and in time they will pass, but the victories that we gain here will last throughout eternity.  Therefore, if we are called to suffer temporal want for a season, it is for a more permanent reward that we suffer. Christ suffered temporal want that He may be brought into a closer relationship with God, and in the same manner we must fast from the things of this world that we may also be brought into a closer relationship with the Lord.  As we depend more and more upon the Lord to provide for our every needs, we are bring ourselves into a position where we will trust in Him more and more, until we are prepared to follow Him where ever He leads us. In the last days we will be shut in by trials and difficulties, and we will need a faith in God that will see us through affliction and privation.  If we have not faith in God in the smaller areas of our lives today, how will we have faith in Him when the final test comes upon us; when the whole world is united in their hatred of us, and we will not be able to buy or sell least we receive the mark of the beast? My friend, now is the time for us to surrender our lives fully to Jesus that we may be brought into a saving, trusting relationship with Him; learning to depend upon Him as Elijah did, day by day.  It is only as we are thus surrendered to Jesus, following His every word, that we will be prepared to follow Him in the last days. God bless,

Video of the Week The Amazing Work of Christ in You - Dr. Allen Davis Part 3 of 6, A response to the trinitarian symposium held in the Central California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  Dr. Allen Davis presents the most important message of the work that Jesus is to accomplish in all that are to be saved.