Spiritual Goals and Values: Following Jesus in His Upside-Down KingdomSample

Jesus in the Wilderness (Part 1)

“At the timberline where the storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found” - Hudson Taylor.

Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit “into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1

Now if that sounds like a truly unenjoyable way to spend 40 days of your life… well.. you'd be right. Especially considering that Jesus was fasting (not eating!) during this whole time. It’s why we are told in Matthew 4:2 that “he was hungry” (no kidding).

When thinking through the lens of goals and values, there is lots to unpack within this passage, starting with the tension of comfort versus growth.

Before going any further, think through or journal the following exercise:

Draw a line, with comfort on one end and growth on the other. Place a dot on this line that represents where you currently are in your life. Then, if you had to choose a point on this scale in which to live your entire life, where would you place yourself, and why?

The start of Jesus’s ministry was marked by some really great, cool things - like His baptism, for example. We read in Matthew 3:13-17 that when Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened up and the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove. Overhead there was a voice from heaven that said “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Talk about an affirmation of your purpose and calling!

But, hand in hand with these cool and powerful moments were also some really hard, really challenging, and really awful moments for Jesus as well - as we see in today and tomorrow’s passage.

This theme (suffering and power coinciding) also continues throughout the entire life of Jesus. He healed the sick, called people away from their sin, turned water into wine, calmed the winds and the waves, saw the dead raised to life, drove out evil spirits, walked on water, miraculously fed thousands of people (and so much more!), but alongside all of that, He also suffered tremendously. He was constantly opposed, rejected, and challenged. At one point, people even tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29), and in the end, He suffered, was tortured, and died an excruciating death for a crime He didn’t commit (and for the sins of the world). The life of Jesus, from the beginning, was marked with great power but also great hardship. The two went hand in hand.

There are lots of passages in the Bible about this exact topic. For example:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:7-10

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

What all of these passages have in common is a tie between temporary, earthly suffering and eternal, lasting joy and comfort. We will suffer momentarily on this earth, but with Jesus, we will also live everlastingly without it.

To finish up today, think about or journal the answer to the following questions:

What value does our current society place on comfort?

What value does our current society place on suffering?

How is this the same, or different, than their value in the kingdom of God?

Go back to the line exercise from above, and think about where Jesus placed Himself. Spend some time in prayer, asking God what that means - and how He wants you to walk that out in your life.