Temptation

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, Man does not live on bread alone.” Luke 4: 2-4

Often temptation sneaks up on you and then in a bit or several days later, you are sorry you yielded. You may just want to vent about someone or maybe you wish you had something and just go get {it}. Then it sits there looking at you and you wonder why did I want that?

Case in point is a perfectly good automatic vacuum sweeper. I wanted it; I convinced my husband that it was a very necessary item. But then a broken collar bone made it necessary to hire a cleaning service. Automatic vacuums do not clean bathrooms! Anyone want or need an automatic vacuum sweeper?

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. The devil offered food and said why don’t you jump? You will be fine since you are the Son of God. Jesus did not yield to temptation, but I am sure it was not easy. He must have been hungry, tired and maybe even cranky. All of us would have been. An old song goes “Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin.” The next time I enter the spare bedroom and see that perfectly good rather expensive vacuum, I think I will hum that song!

Prayer: Oh God, help us all avoid temptation in our lives. To not eat what is not good for us, to not respond in anger to those around us, to be gentle and kind in situations when we would like to be otherwise. Help us to think before acting. Amen

Carolyn Olsen