Go Ahead and Jump

I still hear the words being sung from Van Halen’s “Jump” when I read through those words.  However, it pertains to the Devil asking Jesus to test His Father by jumping off of a very high point with the plan that Jesus would have been saved and not injured.

Sometimes the phrase is used “the Devil made me do it.”  Imagine how well that excuse would have gone over if Jesus would have went ahead and jumped.  Sounds pretty lame coming from the mouth of our Savior, doesn’t it?  He had just as much ability as the Christian does today…the Spirit.

Sunday, we reflected on the second of Jesus’ temptations in Matthew 4.  This one being about putting God to the test.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

1. Misjudging the Height ~ Sometimes when we are looking to do something we may not fully understand what it will actually entail.  It may be tempting to us to jump, but we may need to evaluate in case we’re expecting God to just take care of us “just because” He’s God.
2. Looks Can Be Deceiving ~ The heat on the distant roadway gives that “water” look to it.  This can be similar to how life can mislead us.  People come in, jobs come available, or deals are offered, all sounding good at first, but it may actually not be good.  The benefit of the doubt part of the argument is that it may not all be totally evil or premeditated.  Someone may come into your life that is completely good, but in the end it may corrupt you just through the chemistry of your relationship.  The job may be offered that does pay, but you didn’t know gas prices were going to jump so high that the pay doesn’t really cover your expenses.

We think that life is going to be all good.  We think God will take care of us regardless of the situation we put ourselves in to.  If those are your thoughts, you need to rethink life.  Both of those thoughts are misleading.  Life can be good and God will take care of us.  However, there are areas in which we cannot expect God to take care of us when we put ourselves in reckless situations.

Do not test Him!