Help Me, Jesus!

In Hebrews 2:18, we’re told that "Because Jesus suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Wait. Jesus suffered from being tempted? The suffering in the Bible that Christians are called to isn’t some kind of torture or disease. It’s more like enduring.  Longsuffering: it means saying no to something that you are being tempted to do. So when the Bible refers to suffering, think of it as saying no to something that is tempting you. It’s kind of like saying no to a piece of cake, even though you really want it. Ugh! And if you start thinking about how everyone else is eating cake, well, now you’re really suffering. Fortunately, eating cake isn’t a sin, but I think you get my point. Now, Jesus is our help in times of temptation. The last place we might want to take our temptations is to Jesus, since we might be kind of ashamed. "Hey Jesus, give me a hand here, help me be strong." But it’s when we try to beat temptation on our own that we fail. When temptation comes, keep your thoughts on Jesus, and ask him for help. Say it out loud, “Help me, Jesus!”

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee