3-22-2017

       Good Morning All,

              Luke 4:13; “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time”.

    There are a few verses in the Bible that, for some strange reason, strike me as really interesting.  This is one of those verses.  This comes at the end of Luke’s description of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness.  As you read Luke’s account, it reads as if the devil is hounding and tempting Jesus for forty days.  Throughout this time, Jesus ate nothing; so the devil tempted him with bread.  The devil tempted Jesus with food after he had not eaten for forty days.  How much more of an opportune time is there?  Yet we know that the devil continued to tempt Jesus.

     Scripture doesn’t specifically state it; but I would guess that the time Jesus spent praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal was an opportune time.  As Jesus hung on the cross dying and the scribes and Pharisees hurled insults at him, that was probably an opportune time.  One thing we can really see; the devil does not play fair.

    The devil watches you and me and looks for an opportune time.  He seems to find them and he doesn’t play fair.  It often occurs at a time when you are vulnerable.  Maybe when you meet a group of new people and someone makes a comment about how “backwards and judgmental” Christians are and they look at you.  Maybe it is the new significant other of your son or daughter makes a statement about abortion or homosexuality, how do you handle it, how do you answer?  These are opportune times.

     It is also an opportune time when we experience events that make no sense and we wonder why something happens.  Why does a typhoon hit the Philippines and kill so many people, or a volcano destroy so many lives?  How could a loving God do that?  Maybe a loved one is suffering and there seems no hope of getting better; this is an opportune time.

    God has promised to always be there for us and to give us strength to endure.  One thing we need to do in this regard is to be aware of “opportune times”.  There will be times when we are vulnerable.  Certain events, certain people, certain situations, all will make us vulnerable.  All of these are opportune times for the devil.  So it is at times like this that we must be aware of the devil’s temptations.

    Know that even if we fail or slip in our temptation that we are still forgiven, we are still God’s redeemed child.  God gives us the chance to withstand the devil, to be a witness for him.  We should pray to accomplish this.  It is our chance; but even if we fail; we are still loved by God.

Father of grace, the devil seeks out opportune times to tempt us.  Give us the strength to withstand these times and to speak your word of live and grace.  Be with those who are most tempted at this time and give them your Spirit of strength to withstand the attacks this day.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret