Friday after Invocavit
Posted on February 26, 2021 by under
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:12-15 (NKJV)
10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.
Devotion
The most dangerous temptation is not the one that appeals to our desires, but the one that appeals to our vanity. “I would never do that! I would never be deceived! I know better! I’m strong in my faith!”
No one should take temptation lightly, as did the Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt. They quickly grew so self-assured and entitled that they abandoned God and turned to open idolatry. Jesus, however, did not take temptation lightly. The sinless Son of Man, who had no sinful flesh to entice Him or lead Him astray, “suffered when He was tempted” (Heb. 2:18). Christ did not laugh at the devil in the wilderness; He stood resolutely on Holy Scripture. Nor did Christ adopt St. Peter’s haughty attitude on Maundy Thursday, as if nothing could lead Him to sin. Instead, Christ prayed earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane for His Father’s strength and help to drink the cup He had to drink.
In today’s reading, God stands on His own faithfulness and promises, through St. Paul, to provide, along with the temptation, a “way out” or the “outcome” of being able to bear it. He has not left us to fend for ourselves when tempted. He will be there, guarding our precious faith and giving us both the strength to resist and the power not to be crushed. Only flee to Him for help in the hour of temptation! And do not imagine you can handle it without Him.
Prayer: O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to defend us from them that rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
