WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-4

In Matthew 4:1-4 we are told, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’” Jesus’ temptation was, ‘If you are the Son then do this!’ Our temptation would probably be worded, ‘If you think you are a son of God, why has all this adversity befallen you?’ The mistaken assumption is that as a son we are insulated from trouble and have the advantage of bypassing it. Is that really what the Scripture teaches or is it the opposite? The twelve all died the death of martyrs except for John who God supernaturally protected even as his enemies attempted to boil him in oil. Just as the three friends of Daniel were shielded from harm in the fiery furnace, the Apostle John simply would not boil. We all know the Apostle Paul’s adversity was excessive. As sons and daughters of the King, our troubles testify to how well we are really doing at obeying God. When the accuser lies to us bringing God’s care of us into question, we must remind ourselves that adversity is actually proof of successful Sonship!