Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4: 1-2).

When I was recently at a cookout, my eldest son, Liam, kept coming up to me. “When is dinner going to be ready?” Then, “I’m hungry!”.  And finally, “I’m starving!”  Luckily for him, it only took me a few minutes to cook the food.  As a father, I was helping ease my son’s physical hunger thanks to a hot dog, but it should be no surprise that there is an even better source for nourishing our well-being.

When the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, Jesus fasted.  And while food is essential to our physical well-being, Jesus was making space in Himself so that he could be filled with something that would strengthen Him even more.  Jesus was physically hungry, but he was filling himself with the Spirit before His confrontation with the devil.

The story of Jesus’s temptation shows us that Jesus did not defeat the Devil as God, but as a human. In that moment He answered with words demonstrating his faith in God.  He was showing that he had filled himself with God. God was in Him and with Him.  The devil’s temptations were no match for a body filled and nourished in God.  

We see how truly connected Jesus is to his humanity, and how powerful that humanity can be when filled by God.  We know how important physical nourishment is, but we must also make room for the spiritual nourishment of God.  By abstaining from good things, we make room for great things! While enjoying food, and nourishing our bodies is a good thing, we should not miss opportunities to nourish ourselves in ways than can bring even more joy into our world. Yes, even more than a hotdog right off the grill! 

If we make room for God and allow his spirit to fill us, we can both resist the temptations of the devil and find enjoyment in the gifts of creation God is sharing with us.  Just as we allow good and healthy food to nourish our physical health, creating room for spiritual nourishment from God is just as vital.

What can you do this week to actively create a space to nourish your relationship with Jesus?  Is there a space where you can abstain from a worldly distraction, and instead fill that time with spiritual nourishment? Is it a time to enjoy some quiet, spiritual reflection? Connect with a friend over the Bible?  Or allow yourself to be more fully immersed in a Sunday service?