The Danger of Judging Judas

Have you ever made a decision & immediately felt guilt or shame thinking, “Man, why did I do that?!” Or maybe it’s not immediate, but rather a sinking feeling after the fact?

I sometimes wonder if that’s how Judas Iscariot felt right before he hung himself on a tree. Or maybe how Peter felt after he denied 3 times that he knew Jesus.

I think it’s easy to sit in judgement of Judas, but it quickly dissipates when we remember this:

Every time we choose our will over God’s, we liken ourselves to Judas the betrayer.

It was the evening of the last supper that Jesus predicts the betrayal of Judas. Greatly distressed, they all ask, with panic in their voice, “Am I the one, Lord?”

I’m sure they felt great relief when He reveals that it is Judas & yet they all would betray Him - some slept as He wept, some fled in fear & even passionate Peter denied he even knew Jesus.

I’ll be honest…sometimes, my heart aches for Judas. I can’t imagine the deep despair he felt after he realized that he sold his Savior unto death. He even tried to give the coins back, confessing that he lied, but the Pharisees replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”

My heart aches for Peter too. I’m sure his heart sank to his stomach the moment the rooster crowed, realizing he fulfilled what Jesus predicted.

Y’all we have all been like Judas or Peter or any of the disciples when we’ve deserted Jesus to go our own way.

When we realize our own propensity for betrayal, it makes it far easier to forgive those who’ve betrayed us. We are not the sum of our choices. Our identity is not what we’ve done. There are consequences to our choices that may impact us for a lifetime, but our identity can become what HE’s done!

We have a Savior who allowed himself to be sold for the price of a slave so we might be free to follow Him.

I don’t know about you, but when I realize the much  I’ve been forgiven, I don’t want to be like the disciples wondering, “Am I the one, Lord?”

Jesus, help us…every time we give into temptation we deny You. Every time we choose our way, we desert You.  Every time we we follow the lure of wealth over the wonder of You, we betray You. Help us choose Your Will & Your Way!

#OneYearBible

February 9th One Year Bible Readings

Exodus 29:1-30:10

Matthew 26:14-46

Psalm 31:19-24

Proverbs 8:14-2

Sometimes the Absence of Wisdom is the Perfect Opportunity for its Discovery

Years ago I stumbled upon this idea that sometimes the absence of wisdom is the perfect opportunity for its discovery!

We had our first two sons at the time & didn’t own a home. Some friends lived in a nice-ish trailer park & in a rash moment of decision-making, we thought moving nearby was our next best step.

We spent hours at the manufacturers office choosing all of the finishes & realized we had to scoot quick to the bank for a cashiers check, but when we hopped in our car, it wouldn’t start.

I remember feeling frustrated as we only had an hour to get to the bank & back. The place was closed on Sundays & we wouldn’t be back to that part of town until the following weekend.

I’m now so grateful for the broken alternator that stopped us in our tracks. God had something far better in store, but we didn’t know because we didn’t ask.

Today as I read Proverbs 8:12, that circumstance surfaced from my memory banks. The verse tells how wisdom lives together with good judgement, discernment & all who fear the Lord. On the flip side, however, wisdom will be absent where pride & arrogance are present.😬

Sometimes the absence of wisdom IS the perfect opportunity for its discovery!

Think back to a moment when you made a decision that lacked patience, discernment & insight. I guarantee you discovered wisdom in the process!

We were trying to find a quick solution to a minor problem, but the bigger problem was that we didn’t seek the Source of wisdom in the process!

Are you facing a decision & don’t know what to do? I’ve learned that it’s best to wait, remaining in the last place you heard from God before taking rash steps pretending to BE God.

Maybe you’ve made a decision you regret? Praise God that the disappointing consequences can become fertile ground for wisdom to grow!

Father, You are the Source of wisdom! Remind us to keep coming to You for answers instead of plowing ahead with our feeble solutions! Even hard things like a broken alternator can be used to redirect us towards something far greater than we can fathom! We invite wisdom to rule our hearts more than common sense or feelings. We will never go wrong when we patiently follow her lead 🤗

#OneYearBible

February 8th One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 28:1-43

MATTHEW 25:31-26:13

PSALM 31:9-18

PROVERBS 8:12-13

Living the Light Life

I learned something new today as I read the tedious instructions for how to build the Tabernacle. With no video to watch, no phone to record instructions & probably no pen to capture the details, I wondered how they remembered it all?

To be honest I wanted to skip the reading. It seemed pointless until I reached Ex. 27:14.

God describes all 3 walls of the Tabernacle, but this  verse tells that the entrance must face eastward. I stopped & thought, “The sun rises in the East & sets in the West.” The Tabernacle, the temporary shelter of God, was to face the rising sun. Why?

A little digging revealed that unlike pagan religions, easterly facing temples were unique to the Jews. In fact, calculations show that the sun rises at the current Temple Mount in Jerusalem on the day of Passover almost at the exact true magnetic East!

I wonder if the command for the Tabernacle to face East was a foretelling off the future & final Passover Lamb that was to come?

The Tabernacle was a temporary residence of God where He resided with the Israelites until King Solomon built the Temple. It was also the place sacrifices were made for sin. When one entered the Tabernacle, their backs would be to the sun & when they left? Their entire body would reflect the resplendence of the sun they faced!

The prophet Malachi foretells of the coming of Jesus, calling Him, “the Sun of Righteousness {who} will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” 😃

Jesus came as the last lamb to forgive ALL sin for ALL time! When we receive His salvation, it is like leaving the Tabernacle or Temple & facing the brilliance of the sun!

Jesus is ever before us. He’s our rear guard. He surrounds us, encompasses us & resides inside! We carry the Light of the World within! Do we let our faces reflect that?

Father, not one iota or detail is happenstance with You! Thank You for the reminder that You forgive our sins as far as the East is from the West! Let us walk in the freedom only You provide leaping with joy like calves set free! Let there be Light in our heart, Light in our speech & Light in the cadence of our life because of what You’ve done! Show us how to live the Light life!

#OneYearBible

February 7th One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 26:1-27:21

MATTHEW 25:1-30

PSALM 31:1-8

PROVERBS 8:1-11