Day #6
Larry Trotter
Words
of Love
3 The devil said to him, “If you
are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Luke 4:3-4 NIV
Overcoming the Barrier
As we saw
yesterday, Jesus is wrapping up a 40-day, solo spiritual retreat including a
fast. The devil hopes to leverage Jesus’ physical hunger into spiritual
vulnerability by striking directly at his weakness. Jesus is in that gray area
between the clarity that intentional solitude can bring and the blurriness that
comes with unintended isolation. First, in the above verses the devil tries to
entice Jesus to compromise his integrity by coopting the considerable resources
at his disposal for his own personal gain. Further, in verses 5-7 the devil
offers his own considerable resources to infiltrate Jesus’ mission and
undoubtedly redirect it toward his own purposes. Finally, in verses 9-11 he
flat-out dares Jesus to make a public spectacle of himself and, thus, create
confusion about the nature of his identity and the purpose of his mission. It’s
crucial not to miss the fact that none of these three offers seem problematic
on the surface. Food, political clout, and a publicity stunt could all have, at
some level, bolstered Jesus’ early campaign. But, at what price?
Where solitude on
our terms can make us stronger, isolation on its own terms can create
vulnerability, which becomes a barrier to integrity. When we begin to withdraw
we loose perspective and allow at least self-serving or at worst dangerous ideas
to enter the internal narrative. But, Jesus halted the attack before it ever
gained momentum by allowing his Father to provide perspective by recalling
Scripture. Remember, Jesus was filled with the Spirit and allowed that
indwelling Presence to interpret the devil’s offers and formulate a response.
Faith in Christ brings that very same indwelling Presence to advocate on our
behalf as well. Before we compromise from a position of vulnerability, why not collaborate
from a position of viability. Having a few life verses from Scripture can be
the power we need in our moment of temptation. It worked for Jesus.
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, and give me words of life
in the face of temptation so that I may remain in your strength and not my own.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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