从最初开始，人类便未能通过神的试验了。在伊甸园里，撒但说：“神岂是真说 …？”它跟着便误引神的话。结果亚当和夏娃质疑神的话、然后做了他们眼中看为对的事。我们也会这样做。
神的儿子耶稣到来成为一个人，活在我们中间。对耶稣来说，祂是被圣灵引到旷野受试探的。在那里，撒但提出一些听来颇为合理的建议 - “吃些东西吧；展示一下你的能力；你大可以堕进神的怀抱里。”耶稣引用圣经来回应每一个试探；祂没有曲解神的话，祂其实在说：“不，我是靠着神的话语生活的。”
今天我们仍然要面对这个挑战。我们靠着神的话语生活，抑或去做我们看来似乎是对的事呢？像亚当和夏娃，我们都精于曲解神的话来顺应我们自己的目的。我们撒谎，我们贪恋，我们发怒，我们贪婪，我们说长道短等等。鲜有一天我们不被某些试探所胜的。
我们需要倚靠唯一能够通过试验的耶稣。祂也曾“凡事受过试探，与我们一样；只是他没有犯罪”（希伯来书 4:15）。除此以外，耶稣更付上祂的生命来替我们偿还罪债 - 好让我们能够永远与神一起。祂是一位多么奇妙的救主啊！
祷告
父啊，我们受到试探、没有按你的旨意生活时，求你因耶稣的缘故赦免我们。主耶稣，我们为你忠心的生活和为我们付上你的生命感谢你。阿们。
马太福音 4:1-11
1当时，耶稣被圣灵引到旷野，受魔鬼的试探。
2他禁食四十昼夜，后来就饿了。
3那试探人的进前来，对他说：“你若是神的儿子，可以吩咐这些石头变成食物！”
4耶稣却回答说：“经上记着说：‘人活着不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话。’”
5魔鬼就带他进了圣城，叫他站在殿顶上，
6对他说：“你若是神的儿子，可以跳下去！因为经上记着说：‘主要为你吩咐他的使者用手托着你，免得你的脚碰在石头上。’”
7耶稣对他说：“经上又记着说：‘不可试探主你的神。’”
8魔鬼又带他上了一座最高的山，将世上的万国与万国的荣华都指给他看，
9对他说：“你若俯伏拜我，我就把这一切都赐给你。”
10耶稣说：“撒旦，退去吧！因为经上记着说：‘当拜主你的神，单要侍奉他。’”
11于是魔鬼离了耶稣，有天使来伺候他。
"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." - Matthew 4:1
Since the beginning, human beings have failed God's test. In Eden, Satan asked, "Did God say . . . ?" and then misquoted God's words. Adam and Eve responded by questioning the word of God and then doing what seemed right in their own eyes. So do we.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to live among us as a human being. And, in his case, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. There Satan made some suggestions that sounded rather reasonable—"have something to eat; show your power; fall into the arms of God." Jesus responded to each temptation with a quote from the Scriptures. Rather than twisting God's words, he said, in effect, "No, I live by the Word of God."
This is still our challenge as well. Will we live by God's Word, or will we do what seems right in our own eyes? Like Adam and Eve, we are experts at twisting God's words to suit our own purposes. We lie, we lust, we get angry, we are greedy, we gossip—and so on. Rarely does a day pass in which we don't yield to some temptation.
We need to rely on the only one who passed the test. Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). What's more, Jesus also laid down his life to pay the price for our sin—so that we can live forever with God. What a Savior!
Father, forgive us, for Jesus' sake, when we fail to live your way when we are tempted. Lord Jesus, thank you for living faithfully and giving your life for our sake. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
