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In more than three decades of my Christian life, I have been blest by 2 types of Daily devos'
(matter not exceeding 500 words) in universal Christian literature. Not only those Devos'
which have a different theme everyday but also the ones which revolve around a certain
theme over a period of time, say a fortnight, have richly edified me. In fact, both
styles have their own inherent advantages. If the former style caters to the varying
spiritual needs of a christian from day-to-day, the latter aims 'to ground'
a child of God in a certain subject in order he derives the full benefits of the
deep insightful study of a certain topic, spread over a fixed span of time.
In my Daily devo page, I have consciously tried to go in for 'a blend of both the
styles' whereby within a constant theme, I would be aiming to focus on different
facets of it which admittedly is a closer imitation of the 'Constant theme' style
than the 'Varying topics' one.
Having dwelt on the topic of Christian journey and the “Conquest of Canaan”
in the previous months, now in the month of March, considering that
we are in the season of Lent, I intend to focus on the subject- “Lent season”.
Once again, let me wish you a happy and an edifying read…
Suresh Manoharan
10th Lent Day
Man’s Achilles heel
“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."–
Matt 4:2,3
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No, no, I am not endorsing Greek mythology here. But, using the illustration of Achilles
heel-synonymous with the vulnerable portion in an otherwise strong person-, I am merely trying to
drive home a point. So in our meditations on the subject of Lent and all its incidental topics such
as temptation and Satan’s strategies, we focus once again today on Satan’s subtleties, in order we
are not outwitted by him
(II Cor 2:11). Food has always been for man as much a necessity as an
Achilles heel. If for Adam and Eve, it proved to be their undoing (should I need to elaborate?),
then for Esau, it acted as a cause usurping his birthright eventually
(Genesis 25:29-34).
Eating food is not sin. Period. But eating food, prohibited by God
(Daniel 1:8) or at a time,
God doesn’t want you to eat is SIN. In the case of Jesus in the wilderness donning fallible
human flesh (who had already fasted for 40 days) the temptation of Satan, which centered on food,
was steeped in subtlety. Jesus time for breaking his fast had still not come; it was to come at
the end of all of satanic enticements
(Matt 4:11), by way of angelic intervention, till then to
break the fast would tantamount to Sin. Nothing less.
Oh, how deceptive Satan can be! He can make any googly bowler proud with his bagful of tricks!
Subtlety in his first major temptation was one it appealed to Jesus’ own latent miraculous powers’
borne out of his very special relationship (as Son of God) to satisfy the cravings of his flesh in
the process masking his main motive of making Jesus break his fast prematurely -at a wrong time before
the appointed hour had come. Quite likely, many would have fallen for it. But Jesus stood firm, seeing
through the facade. Not for him, food or that matter usage of his own miraculous powers for self-serving
purposes, though his body must have been after 40 days of fasting, craving for a morsel of bread. Pleasing
God mattered more to him, than anything else. May it be our first priority too!
Prayer:
Father, enable us to toe your Son’s way of living, which revolved
around pleasing thee, first and foremost. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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