Success by Sonship

Kathy — The third thing the devil did was offer Jesus a way to get what He came after by getting out of bounds on a shortcut.  Satan offered to not oppose Him and give Him the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15).  Jesus knew the kingdoms of the world were to be His, but He knew better than to worship Satan to get them.  Jesus was a mature son of strong character, and He was so intent upon obedience and self-government, that He couldn’t be tempted by success any other way.  Adam and Eve did fall for the temptation to get out of bounds and reach beyond the will of God.  Then, evidently, they did not truly repent because they passed on the “thinking of their heart” to the next generation.  Cain cracked his own mirror also by reaching outside God’s boundaries with a sacrifice that wasn’t acceptable.  Then his self-worth plummeted and his self-government completely toppled when he murdered his brother.