Not long after the gospel of Matthew opens, and just as it seems reasonable for Jesus to begin His public ministry, He is whisked away by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil - three times. Immediately, the schemes of Satan are fully revealed. The defeated one suggested that Jesus’ talk could turn stones into bread. Satan proposed that Jesus’ walk could be impressive and significant if He were to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple. Finally, the devil tried to entice Jesus with the thought of His wardrobe being arrayed with the power of all the kingdoms. Satan tempted Jesus by appealing to the desire to be relevant, significant, and powerful. Aren’t these the same appealing areas of vulnerability for us as educators? How natural to want to be relevant while talking to our students, impressive and significant in our profession, and powerful in our classroom kingdoms! Nothing would please the tempter more than to derail our earthly walk, talk, and wardrobe. He doesn’t want us to walk the talk or dress the part of being a follower of Christ and a light in a dark and needy world. Like Jesus, we don’t need to outsmart or outmuscle Satan. We need to simply out-truth him with the powerful words of God. Sheryl Vasso has spent the last several years directing the Masters of Education Program at Philadelphia Biblical University and traveling the world as a professor of teachers enrolled in graduate studies. Cammy Tidwell, on the other hand, took an early retirement from the teaching profession to spend time at home with her children. Through the common passion of studying and teaching God’s Word, Sheryl and Cammy have united, first as friends, and then as partners in their speaking and writing ministry, Words of Worth, Inc. (www.wordsofworth.com). Both Sheryl and Cammy reside in Newtown, PA.
