poolsandpastures
Thoughts on the Gospel, Life, and Ministry
The NT365 Experiment: Matthew 4
After overcoming his wideness temptation, Jesus called his first disciples — Andrew, Peter, James, and John. He then demonstrated the power and glory of his kingdom. The main point is that Jesus overcame the temptation and by doing so he established his kingdom. He gathered, and continues to gather, those whom he has chosen.
Come
Jesus is the great overcomer of sin. Where the Israelites failed to obey God in their wilderness journey, Jesus succeeded. Where I fail to overcome temptation, Jesus succeeded. He conquered sin and the Devil. And, because he overcame, he became the mediator of a new covenant between God and his people. He is our conquering representative before God. That reality beckons me to come to Christ, to come to the one who succeeded where I failed, who did it before I asked him to do it, who did it before I was born. How can I resist such grace?
Experience and Follow
The place where this text gives us an opportunity to experience life with Christ tied to the place in which it calls us to follow him. Jesus called the first disciples to leave their present lives to follow after him. He called them from a casual relationship with him to one of commitment and dedication. This life of discipleship is a great experience of faith. The disciples had no idea where Jesus was going to lead them. They had no idea what their journey would entail. They had no idea how it would end. They had to trust Jesus. They had to follow him. Their lives are a living picture of repentance. They said “yes” to Jesus and “no” to the world around them.
Jesus calls us in the same way. He doesn’t enter our lives to establish a casual relationship with him. He wants us to be completely dedicated to him. He’s not interested in a casual noncommittal (friends with benefits) relationship. He wants a lasting love relationship with us. To enter a long-term committed relationship requires trust (faith), repentance, and dedication. The following questions can help us with our practical challenge today.
- How can I develop my relationship with Christ? How can I trust him more with my life?
- Where am I seeking to maintain control of my life?
- Where am I withholding my heart from Christ?
- What are the things to which I devote the majority of my time? What are those things to which I devote the majority of my money? Are those the same things to which Jesus devoted himself?
- Does my life reflect a life that is dedicated to following Jesus?
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