An Opportune Time

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

AN OPPORTUNE TIME

Luke 4:13

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

NIV

After forty days of being tempted by the devil with us being told of just those three, we have to think there were more, but we are not told of them. We know that Jesus was tempted in all things that we are tempted so as we have already expressed our thoughts there were many more temptations in those forty days. Now this last statement has stirred some concerns. Because the devil was finished with all that temptation, and left Jesus it did not mean that the devil was done for he was just waiting for an opportune time to bring another temptation before Jesus. Although we do not see any temptations out in the open we have examined the life of Jesus many times as we read and reread all the gospel accounts. We know of His teachings, and the many miracles He did, including raising the dead. We know of His arrest and fake trial, then his crucifixion, burial His resurrection, and ascension, but we don’t see when that opportune time was. The concern we have is that we are not just tempted three times and then the devil leaves us alone, until an opportune time. Just what is this opportune time? It seems to us that each and every day we live in this corruptible flesh. If we think for one moment that the devil or one of his henchmen, the demons that followed after him when he was cast down to the earth, are not after us, then we are not thinking correctly. Before we accepted Jesus, we were left alone for we were already in the grasp of the devil, but once we accepted Jesus we became a target for his temptations. Now, we also believe that we do not need the devil to come and tempt us because living in this body we have enough temptations of our own making. Still, we would think the devil is always waiting for an opportune time to bring us some really hardcore temptations through some scheme. We are given the armor of God because we face the schemes of the devil. Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians in regard to forgiving that he forgives in the sight of Christ because we are unaware of the schemes of the devil. We pray we always have that armor on so that we are ready for any opportune time.