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

He thought to himself, “he is weak I will corrupt him.”  But he did not know the strength the Father.  Nor did he know the strength of the Son.  Immediately it was made plain to him.

Really, is this truly the best you can offer?  You offer the son of God the creation of his Father?  It is obvious, it was not yours to give.  But you are the father of lies.

You waited for your time.  You had thousands of years to prepare.  And this is your best?  Is this the best you will offer us? 

I am given great strength at your apparent folly.  For the Son of Man is sufficient to please the living God.  By His strength we stand and we will not falter.  He has promised to uphold his own.  He is everything that is true.  He is the very word of the living God!

Come, you who would beckon the Lord’s people to the meal you now eat.  Come and make your appeal.  By His holy strength you will see we have no interest!  We have food to eat that you know nothing of.  Instead we beckon you.  Come and taste that the Lord is good.  He is mercy and food for life!

By His Grace

By His Grace

I have seen it in others.  I have seen it in myself.  God grants success in a situation and we come to believe that the means he used is sufficient for every day.

So we contrive a framework to put his means on display.  We say,  “This is what is prescribed for every condition.”   Thus the I AM is placed in a tiny box in a tiny room for tiny people to worship.

How easily we forget the meaning of his name.  He is not I WAS, though he was there.  He is not I WILL BE, though his promises are sure and dependable.  He is I AM.

He alone knows the remedy for every moment.  It is pompous and lazy of us to ascribe to Him the remedy for a moment past. 

There is no faith needed for what is already known.  But he has called us to be a people of faith.  Let us rise up and join him in the now.

By His Grace

By His Grace