Victory and Strength – March 10, 2022

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Luke 4:1,2

Victory and Strength

“You’re not you when you’re hungry.” That was the tagline of a successful series of commercials run by Snickers. The commercials featured people who were not at their best when they were hungry. Their hunger had transformed them into crabby versions of themselves. They would yell at people and behave in ways that were rude and selfish until someone would give them a Snickers candy bar. Then they would suddenly become themselves again.

As funny as those commercials were, they illustrate something we all experience: we are not at our best when we are hungry, or our needs are not met. Think of what you are like on a bad day or when things don’t go as planned: we lash out at people at work or school; we complain about minor things; we get short-tempered with the kids and sarcastic with the spouse, we may even threaten worse behavior. The devil has a way of kicking us when we are down. He knows when we are not at our best, and he moves in for the kill. All too often he succeeds in leading us into temptation when we are not at our best.

But he did not succeed with Jesus. Even after not eating for 40 days, Jesus was not led astray. He fought temptation. He resisted the devil’s attacks. He did not take out his frustrations on others or behave in a way that was less than godly. And he did this all for us. We are saved by the perfect obedience of Jesus. His life and death has saved us from our sins. Even when he was physically weak, he was still strong enough to defeat temptation for us and to win our salvation.

So, when you are not at your best, look to Jesus. Look to the One who has saved you. Find victory and strength in Christ.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, when I am weak, you are strong. Help me to look to you and find strength in your victory for me. Amen.