Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Matt 4:10

An airport in New York is named after former mayor Lagudia. One of the stories about him, whether true or fictitious concerns a stint as night court judge. The story is a woman was brought in for stealing a loaf of bread. The short of it was that he paid the woman’s fine and then fined everyone in the courtroom fifty cents each for living in a town where a widow had to steal bread and gave the woman the money.

When temptation strikes we can make be inventive with our excuses why it is okay to say or do a thing.

In the verse above Jesus says we should worship God and only serve Him. He had just spent the forty days in the desert and endured Satan’s temptations. Hebrews 4:15 points out that He was tempted just as we are tempted but did not sin. Jesus was fully human – His stomach growled, He was thirsty and He was hot! But He did not sin.

The key to beating temptation is "serve Him only". This speaks to us of our purpose in life. As redeemed people we live to glorify God and serve only Him. It is not easy and everyday is a battle. Sometimes we give in but let us remember it is only a battle and not the war. We learn from mistakes and we learn from giving into temptation. Redeemed people learn the lesson and equip themselves with the means to avoid and fight temptation. Perhaps we need to commit to memory "and serve Him only".