Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of Temptation to Triumph: Temptation (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 4:8–10 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
The final temptation rises to its most revealing height. The devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and says, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.” The offer is breathtaking. Authority, influence, recognition, dominion. Everything that appears powerful and impressive is placed before Him in a moment.
The temptation is not merely about political control. It is about allegiance. It is about worship. The enemy proposes a shortcut to glory. The kingdoms are already promised to the Son, but the path appointed by the Father leads through suffering and the cross. Satan offers a crown without a cross. He suggests that Jesus can accomplish His mission without obedience and without pain.
This temptation echoes Satan’s deception in Genesis. The serpent told Eve that she could be like God. The appeal was not simply to eat fruit. It was to grasp status, autonomy, and elevation apart from God’s command. It was a subtle invitation to exchange worship for self advancement. Adam and Eve chose the promise of glory over the security of following God’s plan.
We face the same pressure in quieter but equally powerful forms. We are tempted to bow to success, reputation, financial security, or control. We tell ourselves that if we achieve enough, earn enough, or are admired enough, then we will finally be secure. We may not physically kneel, but we orient our decisions and our hearts around these lesser kingdoms. The temptation is rarely obvious idolatry. It is gradual compromise. It is the small surrender of worship in exchange for perceived gain.
Jesus responds with firmness and clarity. “Be gone, Satan. For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” He quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, affirming the foundational command of Israel’s faith. Worship belongs to God alone. No promise of influence, comfort, or success can justify divided allegiance.
Jesus’ refusal is decisive. He will not obtain glory by abandoning obedience. He will not accept authority from the enemy’s hand. He chooses the Father’s will, even though it leads to rejection and suffering. In that choice, He secures our redemption. Where we have bowed to lesser gods, He remained faithful. Where we have traded obedience for advantage, He stood firm.
For us, this moment exposes the central question of temptation. What do we truly worship? Every temptation ultimately presses toward this issue. Will we trust God enough to refuse shortcuts? Will we believe that following God’s plan is better than immediate reward?
Jesus’ victory assures us that our salvation does not rest on our flawless loyalty but on His. Yet it also calls us to examine our hearts. Lent invites us to lay down the small idols we have tolerated and to return our worship to its rightful place.
The kingdoms of this world glitter, but they cannot satisfy. Only the Lord is worthy. Only He can sustain the soul.
Reflect: What lesser kingdoms are most tempting for you to pursue or protect? How can you intentionally recenter your worship on God alone this week?
Prayer: Lord God, You alone are worthy of my worship. Forgive me for the ways I have chased glory apart from You. Turn my heart from every false allegiance and strengthen me to serve You only. In Jesus’ name, Amen.