Temptation is Sneaky

In this morning's passage from the Gospel of Mark, we heard Mark's rather abbreviated version of Jesus baptism. After Jesus is baptized, a voice is heard from heaven, saying, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." Then, we are told, the Spirit "immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. . ."

In his sermon this morning, The Rev. Dennis Winkleblack talked about temptations great and small. Some make relatively difference in the scheme of the world -- Will I or will I not eat that donut? Will I eat one or two pieces of chocolate? But other temptations can be life changing.

Pastor Dennis shared another important observation: We tend to acknowledge temptations that play to our weaknesses. Dennis' weakness, for example, for glazed donuts -- especially the ones with lots of dripping sugar. Or my weakness for the three-piece fried chicken and biscuit lunch when I go over to the store planning on buying the grilled chicken salad.

Consider this: The temptations that Jesus faced from Satan did not play to his weaknesses, but to his strengths: He was invited to settle for giving earthly, tangible bread rather than heavenly bread. Satan tempted Jesus in his Godliness, not in his humanity.

In what ways are you tempted that play not to your weaknesses, but to your strengths? In what ways are you tempted to use your God-given gifts to your own advantage rather than in the service of God's mission? How can you turn that around?