So Obvious

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
(Matthew 4:9 NIV) To me the other two temptations are harder to understand. On the surface they seem ok. What's wrong with a hungry Jesus turning stones into bread or the Son of God calling His angels to protect him? But here it seems pretty obvious. Its almost like the devil knows his time is short and he's going for the juggler. He's pulling out all the stops in one final desperate attempt to cause Jesus to stumble and to ruin his mission before it even begins. Sometimes temptation can be very subtle and we can rationalize why it's ok, but sometimes it's obvious, in our face and very compelling.

How am I being tempted today? Is it subtle or obvious?
Will I allow temptation to keep me from being who God called me to be?
Lord, Forgive me when I rationalize my sin. Give me strength to stand against the wiles of the devil whether they be subtle or obvious. I want to be the person you created me to be. Amen.