Sunday Devotion- An Opportune Time

I've read the story about Jesus being tempted by Satan countless times. In fact, I've read it more than most things in the Bible. Every time I vow to read through the Gospels, I start by reading about the birth of Jesus, then John the baptist and Jesus' baptism, then the temptation... It's usually around there that I get distracted, until eventually I decide again to read the Gospels...and start over. Therefore, I've read the story many times. Undoubtably, you have too. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus out to the desert where He goes on a 40-day crash diet. Then Satan shows up and tempts him from all angles. But Jesus has a perfect, biblical answer every time, and comes out victorious. Finally, Satan slinks off, beaten.

But on this reading, I caught a detail I never noticed before. It's in the last verse:

Luke 4:13 "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." (emphasis mine)

Until we get home to Heaven, this temptation thing won't end. There will be times when we're victorious, drawing close to God, full of the Holy Spirit, and saying, "no" to things we recognize as wrong. And as the Bible promises, when we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Those are great moments, but we need to remember that it's never a once and for all battle. That nasty enemy will return; he's just waiting for an opportune time.

Look at Cathy in the cartoon above. The poor thing has been battling her weight and her sweet tooth for years. Right now she's feeling resolute again, determined to shed those winter pounds in preparation for bathing suit season. So she's saying no to all the usual temptations. But as the cartoon shows, there is fresh temptation awaiting. And this temptation is packaged up as something good, something that will actually help her cause. It doesn't look evil. With words like "lite," "fat-free," and "healthy," printed on the temptation, who could resist? Yet, enough of those lite snacks can be just as devastating to a figure as one candy bar. And cost three times as much!

So what is an "opportune time?" The enemy has no qualms about kicking us when we're down, and like a terrorist, he has no regard for playing fair. An opportune time will be when we're weakest. Perhaps it will be when we're going through a trial. Or when life has gotten busy, and we've allowed the business to cause us to drift a bit from close intimacy with our Lord. Maybe it will be right at the time when you have a chance to get something you really, really want. Like a senator trying to get something passed, Satan will simply "attach" a temptation to that thing you really want, so that you need to make a choice that will cost you something in order to resist. Satan went after Jesus when he was literally starving, and said, "Hey wouldn't some bread be good right now?" And he'll come after us, when we're starved for attention, starved for intimacy, starved for joy, saying, "Wouldn't some chocolate...or shopping...or TV...or alcohol...or flirting...or whatever be good right now?" He'll use whatever will be hardest for you to say no to.

But temptation doesn't come only in the bad times; Satan will kick us when we're up too. We finally get that contract, win a contest, receive a really good review... and Satan sees an opportune time to temp us with pride, arrogance, forgetting the God who gave us talent.

Brothers and sisters, I'm simply writing to remind you that we're in a battle. A life-long battle. Don't let the enemy get you today. Get close to your Deliverer, put on the armor, and let's watch each others backs.

I like how the temptation story ends in Matthew.

"Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."

Jesus, life is busy, the writing life is crazy, and February isn't all that inspiring. Help us to draw close to you, to be filled with your Spirit and empowered. Help us to recognize the enemy when he shows up, and help us to say no, like you did, to his temptations. Thank you for always providing a way out and for sending angels to attend us. Amen.

Janet Rubin