Luke 4:5-13

“Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.vss. 12-13

According to Luke the devilish tests in the wilderness were designed to make Jesus question whether he really was the Son of God. It was a crucial time for him. If he had yielded to his doubts, he would have lost his resolve, and would likely have abandoned his mission. We know what that’s like. It’s likely every one of us have at one time or another doubted our calling and mission. Now it’s one thing to have those feelings about a job or a profession. Sometimes we really do need to shift our direction and try something new–it’s the healthiest thing we could possibly do. It would be pure foolishness to doggedly keep doing something we hated and weren’t very good at in the first place. But it’s another thing to doubt our baptismal calling to live as a child of God. We have been called for a purpose, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in bringing healing to a broken world. We’ve even been equipped by the power of the Holy Spirit to use our God-given gifts and talents in our work. The temptation to abandon that calling is intense and comes at us in every stage of life. What a relief it is when we find the Spirit strength to continue in faith! Not only do we pass the test, but the whole world is blessed!

Thought for the Day: When is my faith tested?