Holy Week: Tempted Thursday

By Ian Kreml

Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God (Hebrews 12:2 NLV).

Imagine Jesus. He faced every temptation we do and always lived above it. Imagine knowing you are going to be crucified, and being tempted to ghost. Would we even try to fight that temptation, or would we just run? Jesus had plenty of good excuses to back out with. Sorry! I couldn't make it to the cross because I was busy healing people that day!

But Jesus overcame the temptation to let go of God's plan, and chose instead to obey God's great plan of creating grace and freedom for all of us. He ended the system of unworthiness and sacrifice for all time by being a perfect sacrifice.

Jesus prayed just before He was arrested. In His darkest moments, His prayers were for us!

Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

John 17:11,17-19,22-23

What a great example and Savior Jesus is to us. He loved us through the agony of knowing He would die on the cross, loved us while on the cross, and loves us still.

The joy that was set before Him enabling him to endure that horrific and shameful torture was you and I. His love for us kept him on the path to the cross. He could have taken up his power and authority, but He submitted Himself so that humanity would learn that God loves them.

Are there times when you feel tempted to quit on God? In our darkest moments, we can remember that He didn’t quit on us. He endured the worst so that we could experience God’s very best.

Prayer: Pray that God would be near to you today. Ask Jesus to touch your heart and mind, that no matter what we are going through or dealing with, we can rest in Him, because He is always there.