How much more effective would you be in life if you were faithful to your principles and promises? In Matthew chapter 4 we read about how Jesus had to resist a series of temptations and sidetracks before his ministry could take off. The first one was the temptation to use God’s supernatural power for his own benefit, to feed himself. The second was the temptation to use God’s supernatural power to show off by leaping from the top of the temple. The third was the temptation to acquire power and fame by illegitimate means.
Each of these was a temptation to be selfish, but selfishness would have sidetracked Jesus’s mission, because he came to serve others, not to be served by them. Each temptation faced in life seems to be an opportunity for a person either to grow stronger or to grow weaker, just as the good things and the bad things which happen to us in life are opportunities for us to grow closer to God or further away from him.
The problem is that we mostly give in to temptations. We eat inappropriately, fail to exercise, waste time when we should be working, and don’t do everything we’ve promised to do. If you really believe that you were created for something more than the life you’re currently living, why aren’t you doing something about it?