temptation – The Noontimes

Genesis 3: God Has a Plan

Genesis 3: God Has a Plan

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Written on March 5 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

Yesterday we reflected on the idea that God sets a sign before us; he comes to live among us in the person of Jesus. Today we reflect on the reality that God has a plan in mind; God does not come to humanity as an afterthought. It has always been God’s idea to be born of woman as a redeemer of God’s own creation. God’s plan is to create us and to give us a choice of eternal life or death in the world. God’s plan is to come to us as a saver and protector who will lead us out of the physical and into the spiritual world. God’s plan is to abide with us as a comforter and lover who brings us wisdom, forgiveness and compassion. God’s plan is to lay before us life and death. God’s plan is that we choose life, but he allows us to choose death.

Amazingly, even though we may make poor choices, God is still willing to allow us to atone and in fact the Lord rejoices when we reverse course to turn back to God. God knows that Satan patrols the world as we have examined in Job 1:7. God knows it is Satan who has tempted Adam and Eve to think that he holds the mystery of eternal life when it is God who actually does. And God knows how and why we will choose between self-serving pride and life-sustaining humility at the hinge points of our lives. And through all of this, God abides. This is God’s plan.

Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and when he does, these are Jesus’ responses.

Scripture says: Human beings live not on bread alone.

You must do homage to the Lord your God, him alone must you serve.

Do not put your Lord your God to the test.

At the end of this passage, the Gospel remarks: Having exhausted every way of putting [Jesus] to the test, the devil left him, until the opportune moment.

And so when Satan approaches to test us and to draw us away from God, as he does so often, let us stick to God’s plan and let us pray the words Jesus uses when tempted by Satan in the desert – the words of God come to walk among us on earth.

Dear Lord, deliver us and remind us that we do not live on bread alone.

Dear Lord, protect us and remind us that it is you alone we serve.

Dear Lord, love us and deliver us from this test.

Dear Lord, do not allow us to become blind by the light of adversaries who seek to dazzle us with their moments of opportunity

Dear Lord, abide with us always.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A re-post from August 19, 2011.

Image from: https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/04/when-the-scars-come-out/

September 11, 2025

Jesus, Job 1:7, Luke 4, redemption, temptation

Proverbs 2: The Blessings of Wisdom

Proverbs 2: The Blessings of Wisdom

Saturday, July 6, 2024

A shield guarding the paths of justice. In our current world climate, we can surely use a defense against the onslaught of too much dark news.

Awe of God and an appreciation of God’s knowledge. In our present day, we eagerly welcome God’s power and enlightenment.

Righteousness, justice and equity. In our present circumstances, we look with hope for God’s compassion and mercy.

The writer of Proverbs shows us loose women as temptresses who lead young men astray; but he uses this image as a metaphor for any alluring idea, object or person who would lead us away from the path God lays out for us and The Way Jesus shows us. Today we might ask also about the handlers and users of these women who take advantage of God’s creation for fiscal and physical power and domination, and the role they play in the corruption of God’s creation.

And so, we reckon with God’s presence and assess the value of God’s influence in our lives, and we take stock of all that detracts, and all that brings us value. Where else might we find a safeguard that protects us against every ill wind? Where else might we discover such a deep well of awareness that keeps us eternally secure? And where else might we discern the bottomless empathy, kindness and love of the Lord? The writer of Proverbs opens wisdom for us today.

Other translations of this chapter title are The Value of Wisdom, The Rewards of Wisdom, Make Insight your Priority. When we compare different versions of these verses, we might see more clearly the worth, insight and blessings of the time we spend with Lady Wisdom.

Image from: https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/black-pearl.html

July 6, 2024

God is armor, God’s knowledge, temptation, The Way

Matthew 4:1-11: Bread and Stone

Matthew 4:1-11: Bread and Stone

Friday, July 7, 2023

Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. (Mathew 4:1-2)

We ought not be surprised when conflict or doubt settle into our lives. When our brother Jesus experienced great temptation he turns to God. Why should not we?

Today we consider our options when we are confronted by great obstacles and great challenges. For more on how Jesus handled temptation, visit The Temptations page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/the-temptations/

To suggest other images we might enjoy seeing, enter the painter and the name of the work as a comment to this post.

Over the next few weeks we will be away from easy internet access, but we will be pausing to read scripture and to pray and reflect at noon, keeping those in The Noontime Circle in mid-day prayer. You may want to click on the Connecting at Noon page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/connecting-at-noon/ In these posts, we will have the opportunity to reflect on a scripture verse and an artist’s rendition of that event. Wishing you grace and love and peace in Christ Jesus.

Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_in_the_Desert

July 7, 2023

temptation

Amos 1-4: A Prayer to Hear God’s Word

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Amos 1-4

A Prayer to Hear God’s Word

Amos lived in the southern kingdom but prophesied in the north; his oracles began in the oral tradition and were recorded in written form much later. His harshest words are aimed at the cult worship in Bethel. Amos delivers “a broadside against all the festivals of Israel . . . His point is not that all ritual is bad, but that it is not of the essence of religion. For Amos, the essence of religion is social justice. If ritual furthers justice, well and good, but too often it does not . . . When the festival was over, they would go back to cheating in the market place . . . Amos insisted that all this was self-delusion. God would not overlook the injustice of the society because of the sound of the harps, and the Assyrians would rudely shatter the naïve belief that God would protect Israel no matter what”. (Senior RG 364-365)

As we complete three weeks of Lent and continue our journey through this season of quiet and reflection, we remember the familiar Gospel of the devil tempting Jesus, attempting to lure him with the promise of gifts he already possesses. (Matthew 4:1-11) We too, are tempted to turn over the gifts we already possess for the illusion of an offer that does not exist. In God’s kingdom, power lies in our readiness to be humble, life exists in our willingness to die for one another, and peace rests in our preparedness to act on the Word of God.

And so, at a time for introspection and honesty, together we pray.

That we might step up to the responsibility of discipleship: Lord, hear our prayer.

That we might share the Good News of God’s love for us: Christ, hear our prayer.

That we might act in mercy, kindness, goodness, and forgiveness: Holy Spirit, hear our prayer.

That we might embrace God’s gifts of freedom, transformation and redemption: Lord, hear our prayer.

We understand the importance of hearing God’s word, and so we ask all of this in Jesus’ name, together with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For a Noontime reflection on the temptation of Christ, see The Temptations page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/the-temptations/

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.RG 364-365. Print.

March 10, 2021

Bethel, corruption, honesty, Matthew 4:1-11, redemption, social justice, temptation, transformation

Sirach 24:7-8: Seeking Our Inheritance

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Sirach 24:7-8

Seeking Our Inheritance

When we reflect on Scripture we find stories and themes of irony. The last shall be first while the first are last. The chosen people squander their advantage. The son who cheats his brother becomes founder of a nation. The faithless wife has a faithful husband. The one who denies knowing the Messiah becomes the Rock on which a religion stands. The chief persecutor of the fledgling Jesus community becomes a source of strength. We must die in order to live. Examples seem endless. Every chapter brings us a new example of how our human existence pulls us in opposite directions. We may consider this as confusing, or we may use this fog of contradiction to teach us. As always with Scripture and in life, our stumbling blocks become our lesson plans, our hurdles become our stepping stones when we open our hearts, minds, ears and eyes to the wisdom that suffering and chaos offer. Today we reflect on the inheritance we already hold and yet seek. Perhaps the richness of this inheritance is too much for us to take in.

Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose inheritance should I abide? In Genesis we see the devil tempt Adam and Eve with the promise of something they already hold. You can become like gods, Satan tells us just as he told the couple living in the perfection of Eden; yet clearly, they already have this inheritance. What was it they sought? And what do we seek?

Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose inheritance should I abide? Satan tempts Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, again offering him gifts he already holds: the awesome and infinite powers of God. As sisters and brothers of Christ, we too share this same inheritance. Are we able to put aside the false siren song of power and fame to take up our inheritance of humility, patience, perseverance, and love of our enemies? It is difficult to follow Jesus’ example, yet we know that The Way he shows us is the way of our inheritance of peace.

In Jacob make your dwelling, in Israel your inheritance. What is the dwelling of Jacob? What is this inheritance of Israel? The story of Jacob is one of deceit and redemption. This is a tent that shelters our own story. The Twelve Tribes of Israel show us the diversity of God’s family. This is a family in which we can find membership. The gifts we seek we already possess. The promise we pursue we already own. When we give ourselves over to the Creator, we hold the same promise given to Abraham of security and protection. We hold the same miracle of impossibility given to Sarah. When we become one with Jesus to best of our talents, we enjoy the peace of this union that only Christ can give. When we live in the Spirit that binds each of us to all, we rejoice in the inheritance we seek. The inheritance that is already given. Let us celebrate this inheritance today and all days by living the gift of immortal life we already have, that despite our infidelity and deceit, we find a home in salvation. Amid the chaos and fear, we find peace and salvation.

For a reflection on the Temptations experienced by Jesus, visit The Temptations page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/the-temptations/

Image from: https://smartasset.com/investing/how-does-inheritance-work

September 27, 2020

chaos, fear, irony, peace, salvation, temptation

1 Corinthians 10:14-22: Rejecting Idols

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

The Importance of Meekness . . . Rejecting Idols

Paul warns that small, easy temptations lead to a great, cataclysmic fall. What begins at first quietly and even innocently, will later lead to ruin. We can never hear this lesson too much.

What helps us to maintain the meekness of Christ that we work so much to find and maintain? It is the Eucharist of thanksgiving in the living Christ that is the antidote against the temptation to serve our personal idols. It is this gift of self from Christ that redeems and transforms us. We become too full of ourselves when we believe that we do not need Christ’s protection as we move through our days. We lose our humility in God when we believe that we can handle our personal obstacles alone. Pride is perhaps the first sign to ourselves that we are beginning to tread in dangerous territory.

From today’s MAGNIFICAT Mini-Reflection (335). Pride sets subtle snares. Whenever we imagine that we are in control of life – our own or someone else’s – we have fallen prey to the ancient whisper in the Garden: “You shall be like gods”. Mortality is the enduring reminder that we become like God not by our own power but by the power of the cross.

From Sirach 10 in the Morning Prayer and intercessions today: Odious to the Lord and to men is arrogance, and the sin of oppression they both hate. The beginning of pride is man’s stubbornness in withdrawing his heart from his Maker; for pride is the reservoir of sin, a source which runs over with vice. The roots of the proud God plucks up, to plant the humble in their place: he breaks down their stem to the level of the ground, then digs their roots from the earth.

This from Matthew 23:12: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Temptations come to us on little cat feet, becoming part of our daily self and routine without our noticing, disassembling our humble relationship with God. St. Paul warns his listeners that the first little steps into our addictions are the beginning of idolatry. Whatever we do to excess that excludes God from our living and from our decision-making . . . these minuscule openings into idolatry must be investigated and put away. These little wooings, these seemingly insignificant acts that we believe have no effect upon us are . . . after all is considered . . . our first steps away from God, away from the Garden . . . and into the arms of one who delights in our fall.

Humility keeps us close by the creator. Meekness reminds us to reject our idols. Quiet obedience in the Spirit brings us home to Christ. Today we spend time reflecting on our meekness . . . and how this gift of discipleship binds us forever to God.

Tomorrow, discipleship and the gift of broken-heartedness . . .

Image from: http://www.understandfasting.com/the-answer-to-pride/

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 2.24 (2011): 335. Print.

First written on February 24, 2011. Revised and posted today as a Favorite.

April 22, 2020

discipleship, Garden of Eden, humility, meekness, pride, Sirach 10, temptation

Baruch 6: Little Gods

Monday, February 17, 2013

Baruch 6: Little Gods

Worshiping the Golden Calf — *Nicolas Pouisson: The Adoration of the Golden Calf*

Baruch, the prophet Jeremiah’s faithful secretary, paints a clear contrast for us between false, little gods and the one, true and living God; he leaves us with no doubt that pagan deities are nothing more than air while God is good and God is great. As useless as one’s broken tools are their gods, set up in their houses; their eyes are full of dust from those who enter. If we take time today we might discover where we have placed our little gods whom we tend to night and day. And we might also consider how and when and why we tend to our relationship with the Living God . . . and all that our God has done for us even during those times when we allow ourselves to be lured away.

They are wooden, gilded and silvered; they will later be known for frauds. To all peoples and to all kings it will be clear that they are not gods, but human handiwork; and that God’s work is not in them. Yet we slide into easy comfort as we worship fashions that ebb and flow, sports figures who bring home temporary trophies, and television or Hollywood personalities who sap our time and energy by drawing us in to their tragedies and triumphs.

Despite the gold that covers them for adornment, unless someone wipes away the corrosion, they do not shine; nor did they feel anything when they were molded.

The petty gods of our addictions, the small, little gods of our vain ambitions, the trivial gods of our toxic relationships hold sway over us as we tend to them more than we tend to the people in our lives.

If they fall to the ground the worshipers must raise them up. They neither move of themselves if one sets them upright, nor come upright if they fall; but one puts gifts beside them as beside the dead.

These tiny and silly gods must be cared for by those in the household or they wither and decay. They do not give life, they do not revive the dead, and they do not encourage the living.

How then can one not know that these are no-gods, which do not save themselves either from war or disaster?

Why do we allow these trifling and senseless gods into our lives? Why do we tend to these meaningless gods who must be served and cosseted? They do not save, they do not rescue, and they do not transform.

The Gospel reading on this First Sunday in the Lenten season retells the story of Satan’s attempt to lure Jesus to himself and way from God. We watch Jesus deftly manage the skilled arguments by resting in the knowing that God is all and that God alone is enough. Why can we not rest in this same knowledge?

Jesus is tired and hungry from his fast in the desert and Satan believes him an easy target, but in the end Jesus relies on God alone. Why cannot we rely on this one true source of life?

Even after Jesus dispatches Satan we read: When the devil had finished every temptation, departed from him for a time. We must keep watch against these little daily assaults. We must check in constantly with God who redeems and saves.

And so we pray . . .

Good and generous God, keep our hands away from our broken and useless tools and hold us in your own steady hands. Help us to see beneath the gilding and artifice to the emptiness inside our little gods. Guide us in seeing that our futile gods cause us too much work and too much anguish. Call us to see that you serve us more than we can ever serve you. Continue to keep us from the dark world of wars and disaster. And keep us always in your light. Amen.

Adapted from a post written on February 17, 2013.

The Book of Baruch was written during the Maccabean era and for this reason is not always included in all versions of the Bible and some versions, while they do contain the letter of Jeremiah’s secretary, do not include the last chapter. Click on the scripture link above to explore this marvelous closing to Baruch’s letter. For more on Baruch, visit: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2006604

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_calf

To read more about Matthew’s story of Satan and Jesus, see The Temptations page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/the-temptations/

To read a reflection on Luke’s version of this story, see The Test post on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/2012/01/03/the-test/

February 17, 2020

Baruch, Satan, temptation, trust God

Tag: temptation

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