Surely, Not I Lord

Matthew 26: 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”

There is a wise saying that goes something like this. “Never say never and do not ever say always. Life has a way of altering all conditions in ways you can scarce imagine.” Have you ever encountered anyone who was filled with pride, a person who could be called prideful? This type of person is very self confident, maybe even self reliant. Reliance on oneself can leave a person in a precarious position. That person is constantly on the precipice of being overwhelmed, but never thinking it could happen. Reality can be a harsh mistress.

Humility is an admirable quality. For the humble person, things come easy. Self reliance, self pride do not hinder the ability of the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts with faith. Reliance on God to provide all things needed is readily accepted. And knowing God has a plan for all is how a humble life is lived. But for those who set aside humility, there is a nasty wake up call on the horizon. Think about the Disciples from Matthew 26:22. They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”  To say they were self confident would be something of an understatement. Betraying Christ would fall squarely first on the shoulders of one of their number. Judas was the first. But each, in their own way would betray Christ and all that he had called upon them to do and be. The once mighty would all fall.

Interestingly enough, one of the most bold, Peter would later share some very sage advice in 1 Peter 5:5-8 for each of us to follow. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking someone to devour. That roaring lion looking for someone to devour is very real, and ever present. Do not make the mistake of thinking otherwise. Put aside foolish pride, cloak your life with humility and the love of God. Put on the armor of Christ. For if you think surely “Not I” will work then surely you will be in for a rude awakening. No one can stand alone. No one can survive this life. All will say good bye to their mortal life. And those who find safety and comfort in the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ will be brought home as a sheep of His flock. The same loving God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will do just that for all who follow His Son. Stay close to that Good Shepherd and stay humble.

PRAYER: Lord, our world falsely preaches self pride and self confidence as qualities to admire. When in reality Father, Your Word reminds us to be humble and reliant on You. Your Word speaks truth. Our world speaks lies. Help us to ignore what our world tells us, and to follow the path of Your Son. We ask this in the name of the Good Shepherd Jesus who with the Father and Spirit are one God now and forever, Amen.

One Of You Will Betray Me

Matthew 26: 20-21 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

When you think of opposites what comes to mind? Positive would be the opposite of negative. Light the opposite of dark, expensive the opposite of cheap and so on. When you think of characteristics of Jesus, what would be the opposite of His attributes?

Let us continue on with the self examination. We who are broken look at ourselves and plumb the depths of our character during Lent. When we look inward, what do we see? When God looks into our hearts, what does He see? Psalm 139 1-4 remind us that God knows us thoroughly. O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. We have no secrets from God. Jesus, in speaking to the disciples in Matthew 26 is very upfront in His assessment of the future. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” One would step away from being a disciple, a follower and part of Jesus’ legacy to be the one to betray Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:8&9 that we, the living legacy are we are called to a holy life. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. How are we to live our lives? We need look no further that 1 Peter 2:1 for that information. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. And 1 Peter 2: 9-12 sets out a course for us to follow. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. How are you measuring up? Remember no one is perfect, all fall short. 

We do these things out of love for Christ and love for others because we are saved by Christ. God sent His perfect and precious Son to die for each and everyone. Not just the good ones, every one. The proof is found in the empty cross and empty cross. Remember our brokenness and embrace the grace that abounds in the love of Christ. That love is what we need to share in our lives.

PRAYER: Father, we who are broken look to You for strength in our worship and ministry to this broken world we live in. Give us the faith to be courageous in reaching out to this world. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

What Are You Willing To Give Me?

Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Judas Iscariot is an interesting character in the Life and Passion of the Christ. Have you stopped to think about the role Judas played in the Passion? I am not going to be a Judas apologist in this devotional. Rather, I am going to walk you and I through how each of us, in our own way acts similar to how Judas acted. Bear with me please. The journey will be interesting and instructive.

Judas sold out Jesus for 30 silver coins. The full gravity of his betrayal would come later, along with his inability to deal with the magnitude of the betrayal. I am not suggesting you and I are the same as Judas. What I am suggesting is that each of us, in our own way can sell out Jesus in our hearts, our families, in our work place and other parts of our lives. We each in our own way, have an opportunity to place Jesus at the forefront. How we share, or chose not to share Christ in our families, or workplace, or wherever we encounter others is an opportunity to sellout. In exchange for not placing Christ first, we may chose to place something else first in our lives. We have asked the big question, “What are you willing to give me?” We may, or may not have 30 silver coins to show for the sell out. But the bargain has been made nonetheless. When people you know see you or hear you, do they see Christ? Maybe they see a pale version of Christ, or is Christ unrecognizable in how we act? Tough questions for sure. I know I do not like to confront myself with this. It makes me uncomfortable. This is part and parcel of that introspection we as believers take on at Lent. If it were an easy question to ask, it probably would not be worth asking. Please, take time and examine yourself. Ask yourself the question “What are you willing to give me?” Is there an element of your life that needs a bit of prayer for faith and help to improve? Think about it. 

Each of us is imperfect. And God our Father knows this. And yes, He loves us in spite of ourselves. He wants each of us to understand our brokenness and to grow from that knowledge. He also wants us to remember His grace is enough to fill that void. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12: 8-10 after pleading three times with the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. God sent His perfect and precious Son to die for each and everyone. Not just the good ones, every one. The proof is found in the empty cross and empty cross. Remember our brokenness and embrace the grace that abounds in the love of Christ. That love is what we need to share in our lives.

PRAYER: Father, we who are broken look to You for healing of our hearts and our lives. Give us the faith to be courageous in sharing the love of Your Son. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.