The Three Most Important Questions – By Eliezer Gonzalez

The Three Most Important Questions – by Eliezer Gonzalez

Nov 12, 2015 2010

I have been in the Judaean wilderness. It is a dry, bleak, and lonely place. That’s where Jesus went to prepare himself for his ministry. That’s where he three times tempted by the devil.

There are three questions that all of us have to answer in our lives. There’s no avoiding them, everyone who is born on this earth will answer these questions, one way or another, and usually in this order…

The first question is, “Who will you meet your needs?” Each of us must decide whether we will live in selfish or unselfish ways. This is a fundamental question.

The second question is, “What are you willing to die for?” Every one of us is willing to sacrifice for something… or someone. Too often the person that they die for is… themselves. They kill themselves for food, sex, and money. Furthermore, for the sake of their own pride, they lose their eternal lives.

The third question is, “Who will you follow?” as John Donne said, “No man is an island.” The answers to the first and second questions determine the answers to the third. Each of us must decide what we follow in this life. Who do we admire? Who do we want to be like? What is it that we seek the most. Ultimately, who do we worship?

Jesus faced and answered each of these questions before he started his teaching and healing ministry. He would need to stand up before the world and face all the demons of hell and declare who he was and what he stood for.

In the first temptation, after Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days, the devil said to him,

If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread – Matt 4:2

Jesus answered the first great question of life by demonstrating that he would allow God to meet his needs, and trust him in every circumstance. This meant that he would never be presumptuous to believe that if His Heavenly Father did not feed him right then and there. He would do things in God’s way and in God’s time.

In the second temptation, the devil took Christ to the highest point of the temple, and said to him,

‘If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” – Matt 4:6

Jesus answered the second great question of life by demonstrating that he would not die for himself, but rather he would die for a lost and broken world.

In the third temptation, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all of their glory and wealth. The devil said to him,

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” – Matt 4:8

Christ answered the third great question of life by showing that he would follow only his Heavenly Father. His worship would be for God alone and for no one and nothing else.

Why was Jesus who he was? It was partially because he answered those questions the way he did.

Christ’s temptation in the wilderness challenges us to examine the bases on which we live our lives. How will you answer those three questions:

Who will provide for your needs?

What are you willing to die for?

Who will you follow?

– Eliezer Gonzalez

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