Temptation #1, part 2
Satan had tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, which apparently was a very loaded statement, but Jesus replied, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Satan had tempted Jesus to prove to Himself that he was truly the Son of God, capable of employing powers to perform impossible tasks, such as turning stones into bread. As far as I know, at this point Jesus was still operating on faith, so that might have strengthened his confidence a little bit more. I sometimes think, and this might make me seem crazy, "I wish I could see an angel." But then I think that, no, I don't need to see an angel, and I say that with a peace and assurance in my heart that I would believe the gospel just as much after seeing an angel as I do right now, that it wouldn't change anything, that I don't need some supernatural vision to make me believe even more, what I have now is good enough. Laman and Lemuel saw angels, witnessed miracles, and they hardened their hearts, I feel like I don't need anything more than that Lord is giving me to confirm and grow my faith and that seems like that's what Jesus is doing here. I feel like he's saying what I've said, "I don't need anything else, what God has given me to work with up to this point is enough." I like that because I can relate to it because I feel like I've said the same thing to myself.
There is a really interesting point that can be taken out of Jesus's reply "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The point is Jesus's phrase, "It is written." Where is it written? The scriptures. How does He know that it is written in the scriptures? Because he studies them intensely. The IM says, "The Savior's repsonse to each of Satan's temptations include the phrase, 'It is written.' Christ's knowledge of the scriptures was part of what had prepared and strengthened Him to turn aside form temptation. The Savior later taught, 'Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived.' While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Merrile J. Bateman noted the strength that scriptures study provides against temptation: 'There are certain blessings obtained when one searched the scriptures. As a person studies the words of the Lord and obeys them, he or she draws closer to the Savior and obtains a greater desire to live a righteous life. The power to resistt temptation increases, and spiritual weaknesses are overcome." I can testify that this is true. My journey through studying the scriptures starting with the Book of Mormon has changed my life. I was thinking about it this morning, many of the most powerful lessons that I've learned in the last few years that came while studying the scriptures didn't come from exact wording in the scriptures that I was reading at the time. I feel that as I studied and worked to improve spiritually I became more teachable and it was during those moments that the Holy Ghost taught me what I needed to know at that time. The scriptures weren't the end all be all of my spiritual learning, but a conduit to knowledge and understanding that prompted further spiritual growth. The scriptures can be a paper weight or a precious gift, it all depends on how you value and use them, and what makes the only difference is our ability to invite and listen to the Holy Ghost.
There is a really interesting point that can be taken out of Jesus's reply "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The point is Jesus's phrase, "It is written." Where is it written? The scriptures. How does He know that it is written in the scriptures? Because he studies them intensely. The IM says, "The Savior's repsonse to each of Satan's temptations include the phrase, 'It is written.' Christ's knowledge of the scriptures was part of what had prepared and strengthened Him to turn aside form temptation. The Savior later taught, 'Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived.' While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Merrile J. Bateman noted the strength that scriptures study provides against temptation: 'There are certain blessings obtained when one searched the scriptures. As a person studies the words of the Lord and obeys them, he or she draws closer to the Savior and obtains a greater desire to live a righteous life. The power to resistt temptation increases, and spiritual weaknesses are overcome." I can testify that this is true. My journey through studying the scriptures starting with the Book of Mormon has changed my life. I was thinking about it this morning, many of the most powerful lessons that I've learned in the last few years that came while studying the scriptures didn't come from exact wording in the scriptures that I was reading at the time. I feel that as I studied and worked to improve spiritually I became more teachable and it was during those moments that the Holy Ghost taught me what I needed to know at that time. The scriptures weren't the end all be all of my spiritual learning, but a conduit to knowledge and understanding that prompted further spiritual growth. The scriptures can be a paper weight or a precious gift, it all depends on how you value and use them, and what makes the only difference is our ability to invite and listen to the Holy Ghost.
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