The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 4:13,
"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him [Jesus] until an opportune time."
This observation made by Luke speaks of the tenacity of the devil. Although he found himself entirely unable to persuade Jesus Christ to turn from the purposes God the Father had for him, Satan nonetheless continued in his plotting and scheming to disrupt the work Jesus had set out to do.
Although the work Jesus Christ was focused to achieve, that which the devil intended to side-track him from, was nothing less than the lofty accomplishment of the redemption of all mankind, we all can be side-tracked by Satan from that which God intends us to accomplish in this life. We all tend to a level of self-absorption and when it comes to the subject of Satan we naturally think of our own safety. As I think of the account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, it strikes me that what is in the balance isn't Jesus' personal safety but the safety of the mission, the fulfillment of the purpose the Father had set him about. Perhaps some weight needs to be placed on our concern for what it is we feel God has set us aside for and find our focus there as we think of Satan disrupting our lives.
In any event, it is apparently within the nature of Satan to be a tenacious enemy of the things of God, the people of God and the purpose God has for our lives. I am reminded, however, that his ultimate end will be in certain destruction at the hand of God. Here is his end: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time... When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10.
We know the end of the story when it comes to the devil. We also know how the story goes for those of us, the faithful, with a bright future to look forward to in the resurrection where we will live life eternal with all God intended for us out of his wonderful love. As David puts it in Psalm 16:11, "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." As far as facing Satan as an adversary in this life, we might do well to think in terms outside our own personal safety, get on the offensive and think in terms of the devil as an adversary of the purposes God intends us to accomplish in our own lives.
Either way, I think of Peter's encouragement to us, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:8-11.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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