The Devil's Playground

What tempts you?

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1-13

I think back on all the things I wanted when I was young, and many seem trivial to me now that I am much older and maybe a little wiser.

Who would have thought that I would find pleasure in playing a silly game on my cell phone?

In a way, technology has become the devil's playground, if hours of distracting self-amusement are considered sinful.  After all, the time spent doing nothing is time lost, right?

What would Jesus have thought about binge watching crime dramas on Netflix or MhzChoice?  Or playing Candy Crush for hours each day?

Have we become switched off?

The three temptations Jesus faced were to satisfy basic needs, to become rich and powerful, and to test God.  Of these three, which is our struggle?

Are we in dire need of help for food and shelter?  

Do we seek power and wealth?

Are we out for our own glory?

Maybe the devil's new approach is a lot simpler.  Let me just distract them and make them numb.

We all have a handheld escape tool in our smart phones.  It lets us connect and it lets us disconnect.

Which we choose to do is up to us, but the devil can make it very tempting for us to waste what little time we have left, doing nothing.

More to come...