DCLM Daily Manna Wednesday 17 January 2024

TOPIC: Don’t Tempt the Lord

TEXT: MATTHEW 4:1-11

KEY VERSE
“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”
(Matthew 4:7).

DCLM Daily Manna 17 Jan 2024 MESSAGE

Bartel Elshout in ‘the Banners of Truth’, listed three ways one can tempt God. One, by challenging Him; two, by putting Him on trial; three, by subjecting Him to one’s way of thinking. The writer went further to say, “To challenge God means to deliberately and consciously defy God and His revealed will, summarised in His holy law. To challenge God is to knowingly and consciously deviate from the pathway of God’s commandments”.

Satan, in today’s passage, came to tempt Jesus. He initiated this attempt against the Lord to make Him deviate from God’s plan and purpose for His life. Here, Satan attempted to put to test God’s attributes – His knowledge, will, power and wisdom. God cannot be tempted; He knows all things right from the beginning to the end. His wisdom is without limitation. Although he tried several times, Jesus never yielded.

READ DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 16 January 2024 – Humility is Key

When we doubt God’s love and mercy, and fail to realise how much He cares for us, when we disregard His grace and deliberately do what is evil, we are tempting the Lord. Anytime we go against God’s revealed truth, it is tantamount to disagreeing with His terms; this is tempting the Lord.

You must learn to appreciate who God is. He may allow some crises in your life; it is not to destroy you but to know how far you can depend on Him in the face of adversities. There may be no immediate employment after graduation or child after marriage. Yet, you must not tempt God by complaining. If you will believe and trust Him most sincerely, He will bring the best out of your most trying situations.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: We are called to trust God, not tempt Him.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 7-8