After Jesus was born he lived at home in Nazareth with his parents until he was thirty years old. All the time he was preparing himself for the work God wanted him to do.

He read his Bible and talked to the wise men, asking them questions. He helped his dad and mum around the house, and worked in the carpenter’s workshop with his dad.

When he knew it was nearly time to begin the special work God wanted him to do, he went out into a desert (a quiet place where nobody lived).

He stayed a long time listening to what God had to say to him. There were many things he might do to let people know that he was God’s son and that he had come to show them that God loved them.

He heard God telling him that it was not going to be easy to make people want to go God’s way. But it was not only God’s voice that he heard. He also heard the voice which was tempting him to take an easier way, to do something nobody else could do. That would make people listen to him.

”You have been here a long time,” said the voice. “You must be getting hungry. Why don’t you turn these stones into bread? You could, you know.”

But Jesus knew that God would not wish him to do miracles for his own good. If God did want him to do this is would be only for the good of others. He remembered something he had read in the Scriptures.

“Man cannot live by bread alone,” he said. “We only live when we do what God tells us to do, and he is not telling me to do that.”

But the tempter did not give up easily. He had another idea.

“There is something you could do which would let everybody know you are the Son of God,” he said. “Why don’t you throw yourself down from the very top of the temple? You won’t hurt yourself. God’s angels will look after you. Then people will know you are from God.”

But Jesus had been listening to his father’s voice again. He knew that this was not the kind of thing God was telling him to do.

“I won’t do that either,” he said firmly.

The tempter tried again.

“Look at all the things you can have if you go my way,” he said. “You can be a great man and have all the good things of this world if you will worship me, and do as I say. You can be King of all the world. It’s a much quicker and better way to show people who you are.”

The tempter’s words sounded good. But Jesus knew better. Ever since he was a boy he had been listening to God’s voice. Never had he heard God telling him to do such things. He had come to this quiet place to talk to God and hear what he wanted him to do. He was sure this was not God’s plan for him, however pleasing the tempter made it sound.

“Go away, you tempter,” he said. “I won’t listen to you. I know what I have to do. The Scripture says: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.‘ I will not go your way nor do any of the things you want me to do.”

Then all the bad thoughts which the tempter had tried hard to make Jesus act on were driven out and Jesus was happy in God’s love. He knew now what God wanted him to do.

Much later Jesus taught his disciples to pray:

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus was a very clever, kind and honest man, but even he was tempted to take an easy way, to do something that he knew he shouldn‘t do.

Have you ever been tempted to do something you shouldn’t?

How did it make you feel inside?

Sometimes you know that something you want to do is wrong. You feel a bit sick, and sometimes you feel that you want to run away.

It isn’t always easy to do the right thing, and to be like Jesus, but when you try it makes you and makes other people happy.