Wednesday, March 18, 2015
TEXT: LUKE 4:33-44
Key Verse: “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ” (Luke 4:41).
There are many ways the enemies engage in battle. But the most subtle and deadly is when the foe suddenly becomes a friend and praise singer of his target. The people who often fall prey are those who love the praise of men and want people to massage their egos.
When the devils realized they were no match to the great power and authority of the Lord Jesus in the text, they tried to use the weapon of flattery. They probably must have thought that the Lord would be impressed by their open and public testimony of who He is. But Jesus cannot be bought by this. He rebuked them and cast them out. He was not interested in their cheap and unsolicited publicity. He knew who He was and what His ministry was and so does not need the devil to tell Him that. Not only did He reject the testimonies of the devil, He also did not allow the success of His ministry in one place to make Him lose focus of the bigger and larger picture of His mandate. This was why He had to withdraw to the desert after such a powerful and successful campaign. And when the people came to persuade Him to remain with them, He told them His mandate; “…I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent” (verse 43).
Those who love the praise of men and desire to be known will easily fall for the flatteries of the enemy and lose focus of their calling to win souls. But those who are discerning will discard cheap publicity and continue to win souls. We must follow Christ closely and learn from Him if we want to make a success of our lives and ministry. The breakthrough and success of a moment must not make us lose sight of the bigger picture and vision. We must constantly keep the vision before us and keep pushing forward until we have made full prove of our ministry.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 39 - 42
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Flattery inflates self but deflates virtue.
Higher Everyday for Youths - Link: http://highereveryday.dclmhq.org/
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