Moment in the Word

Matthew 4:8-9 - Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

 

Absolutely nothing has changed in the enemy's approach to destroy our lives.

 

In the last couple months I have been considering several notable individuals who were political leaders, celebrities, performers, comedians, musicians, etc. Many were very dedicated to God in their youth. Some were even ministers who suddenly took another road because the allure of wealth or the excitement of cheering crowds was more tempting than serving God.

 

Obviously, I cannot publicly identify any of these people in this politically-correct era without offending a whole host of individuals for being insensitive, but Satan unquestionably attacked their lives in the same way that he did Jesus, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me."

 

At the time, it seemed like the moral compromise, traded for the elusive promise of wealth and notoriety, was a really good deal. However, each victim never noticed the anguish of drug addiction, broken families, ruined health, loneliness, desperation, or absolute physical and spiritual exhaustion that waited just out of sight around the next corner of the crooked road that the Devil offered them. When each one finally realized they had been maliciously tricked, their awareness came much too late since horrific sin had already trapped them in a prison of bondage. Sadly, they squandered their fragile lives by "bowing down and worshipping" the deception until their last opportunity was gone.

 

I think the saddest story was the account of a preacher who turned into a popular comedian that reviled God's holy things merely to get a laugh on stage. But following a horrific accident, bystanders heard him praying, "Why do I have to die now?" followed by, "OK.... OK... OK..." The former minister immediately passed into eternity to stand before God and explain why he chose to "bow down and worship" the fleeting prospect of approval from "all the kingdoms of the world."

 

So, what's your price for personal betrayal? You better set the amount high to cover all your other losses that will surely come as a result of "bowing down and worshipping" the enemy of your soul. But before you sign on the bottom line, remember Jesus' warning, "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

 

Too many have already compromised and lost absolutely everything because they ignored Jesus' answer to the devil's temptation, "Get out of here, Satan.... for the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" Matthew 4:10 (quoting Ecclesiastes12:13)

 

Please do not be among the number of poor disillusioned souls who believed the lie and were damned while chasing the splendor of a condemned world. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).