The Open Scroll

  The Danger of Human Exaltation One of the worst things that can happen to a person is to be exalted to a god-like status by men. For the same people who lift you up today may, in another season, shout at the top of their voices: “Crucify him!” (John 19:6) The Dual Capacity of Man The truth is this: You have the capacity for great good — “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). You also have the capacity for great evil — “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The environment, your state of mind, and the company you keep can either strengthen good or amplify evil — “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Even things capable of good can become instruments of destruction if misused — “If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:30). Sometimes, evil manifest...

 God revealed to us how He would face temptation through Jesus Christ. Scripture records that Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). This was not by accident but by design—so that we might learn how to respond when temptation comes. 1. Hunger and the Primal Urge The first test Jesus faced was hunger. Hunger drives us to do desperate things, stirring our primal nature. Self-preservation often pushes us to abandon ethics and morality just to satisfy the body. And once the appetite is gratified, morality usually resurfaces, but often too late, after damage has already been done. In that moment of weakness, Jesus addressed the primal nature within every man by declaring: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3). True survival is not found in abandoning God for the sake of bread; rather, it is found in sticking to His instructions and receiving comforts...