Saturday, February 7, 2009

Glory of the World

JST Matt. 4: 8-10

And again, [the Spirit] taketh [Jesus]… and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And the devil came unto him again, and said, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It was by the Spirit that Jesus saw kingdoms “and the glory of them”. United with Father and Son, the Spirit’s glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”(Moses 1: 39). Perhaps the Spirit showed Jesus the world’s people and their potential exaltation. Then Satan’s offer was that each beloved child would receive a fullness of joy (Moses 4: 1-4). There would be no blood-sweat to endure, no Atonement to be made, no heartache or heavenly weeping at the loss of His precious children (Moses 7: 37).

The substance of temptation is a devil saying “There is a happier, easier, better way than what God commanded—you won't have to work so hard and it will work out better for everyone.” 

I should answer as Jesus answered: loyal to God, trusting His way as best, knowing that growth of the human spirit is His most important outcome.

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