A time of practice
Ya know many times when studying the scriptures about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we study only half the story. Today, for the first time I looked at the whole beginning. Normally, I look at the story of Jesus going down to the Jordan river and being baptized by John as the beginning of His ministry. It is, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. When he came up out of the water the heavens tore open and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove and then immediately he was led into the wilderness for 40 days and nights to be tempted.
How often I’ve read the first part of that, and thought, “how nice, Jesus was baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit, so I must too to have an effective ministry.” But that’s not the rest of the story. He then was IMMEDIATELY led into the wilderness. How many of us can say that immediately after we received the power of the Holy Spirit did we go into the wilderness to have that power in us tested? I can’t. Thank God that He is gentle enough with me that I haven’t had to go IMMEDIATELY. He usually lets me enjoy it a little bit before I end up in the wilderness. Thank God! But He could send me there right away.
Jesus began his ministry by not only getting baptized in water and with the Spirit, but by listening to the leading of the Spirit and going into the wilderness. It was all for God’s glory, for His big picture that this even took place. Because God is God and if wanted to save us using some other method other than sending his son to die on the cross for us, He could’ve…but it was the only way! A sinless man to die on a cross for a sinful world…for a sinful me.
But it forces me to look at my own life, my own ministry and how I complain about the tests and temptations that I’m put through. The “why’s” of it all and the “how’s” and “when’s” of the ending of the wilderness. The wilderness is only one thing…to prove and practice the power in me that I’ve received from the Holy Spirit. God knows I can do it, but He wants me to see that I can too. Jesus knew how to stop the attacks of the enemy – through speaking the WORD, the truth back to him. What do I speak to the enemy when he attacks? Nothing or the pity-me statements that we are all so familiar with, ya know them…”I’m just not good enough, why would anyone want me, I can’t do that,” or the best one yet, “who me?” When we do this (ok, when I do this!) we are robbing God of the glory of teaching us and seeing us live in victory of what He has deposited in us through His Holy Spirit.
