Friday, September 16, 2011

Betrayal at the very heart of the matter! John 18:1-18

Good morning everyone,
Most all of us know the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot!  It is something that goes against everything that we hold as sacred.  It is unimaginable to think that someone so close to the Savior could be a 'turn coat!'  Jesus dined and reclined with the 12 disciples regularly and shared His most private thoughts!  To think that someone would sacrifice their entire being for 30 pieces of silver is mind boggling!  Or is it?  While this was happening, Peter, one of the 12 closest to Him, would deny knowing Him on 3 different occasions.  In Luke 9:23, Jesus said to them all, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.'  It is all very easy for us to say, 'If I was in the same situation, I would follow Jesus without having to question the matter.'  Would you now?  Following Jesus is a minute by minute commitment that we take much lighter than we should.  In order that we don't fall into the same trap that His most trusted fell into, we need to be brutally honest with Him.  The foot of the cross is where we need to lay down our non commitments and where we need to pick up our Sword and Shield!  Denying self is the biggest issue we will face because we are continually bombarded by the things of this world that are distractions from serving our risen Savior!  Jesus is in the business to forgive us when we fall short and is ready to restore us to continue to serve Him.  I say that because if He could forgive Peter for denying Him (one of His closest), why shouldn't we forgive those that are closest to us when they disappoint us?  To show you how close He was to Peter, in Matthew 18:20-22, He reminds Peter that there really is no limit to forgiveness!  We can only get that type of mind set from the One who gives you life and breath!  Connecting and staying connected with the Father is the answer and it is my prayer for each of you!
Your brother in Christ,
p      

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