10-03-23-ENG.

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "

Matthew 6:33
BOW!

Read It: Matthew 4:8-9
By the time we get to temptation number three in this great contest between Jesus and Satan, the enemy has cut right to the bottom line. By offering Jesus the kingdoms of the world in return for His worship, Satan has taken off his covering. He's now standing there with two horns, a pitchfork, and a red jumpsuit, saying, `Jesus, let me tell you what I'm getting at. Bow!" That's what Satan wants from you too. He wants you to bow to him. Now he may not come out and say so at first. He didn't with Jesus. He may start with a food program. "Let's make some bread." But the goal is "Bow!" Or he may say, "Let's skip the inconvenience of the Cross and get there the easy way." But he's really saying, "Worship me." This final temptation is the most blatant. No appeals to a real physical cal need. No quoting of Scripture. Just a straight-up offer of power and wealth beyond anyone's wildest dreams, all available if Jesus would acknowledge Satan as His master. That's what Satan is after in your life and mine. He wants us to bow. He wants us to make him god. That is what he has always been after, to exalt his throne above the throne of God. And some of us have bowed.

We have bowed at the altar of materialism. Our passion for stuff has driven ven us from God. When we were poor, we worshiped. When we were poor, we made time for God. Now that we have stuff, we don't have time. The beauty of being in God's will is that what's yours is yours, and no one else can have it. You have to fulfill your responsibility, but you don't have to break your neck. You can enjoy Sabbath rest. On the seventh day God rested. When you worship God, you can come to a day every week when you say, "I'm finished. God, whatever I've left undone, You are going to have to make up, because You told me to rest. I'm going to enjoy what I've done, because it is what I was supposed to do. If it wasn't enough, You pick up the slack." Think About It There's nothing like seeing God pick up the slack when you choose to worship Him instead of chasing stuff!