Dealing With Betrayal

Have you ever been betrayed? Have you had to be in the same room with your betrayer? Have you had to be kind to your betrayer? Do you continue to hold a grudge against your betrayer? Can you see their face?

We experience someone betraying us as we live out our lives. It may be as small as someone tattling on us when we were a child. It may be as serious as someone putting the blame for a business catastrophe on us. But make no mistake about it, we have been betrayed.

However, none of us have been betrayed like Jesus was betrayed. He was sold out, not to be fired, not to receive a small bit of punishment, but to die a horrible death on a cross. His betrayer committed the ultimate betrayal. Yet, Jesus allowed it to happen.

Jesus could have turned His betrayer into a pile of ash with a simply thought. Yet, He did not do that. He allowed him to sit at the table and eat the Passover meal with Him. He allowed him to walk away. He allowed him to bring the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers to arrest Him. Jesus allowed Judas to come to his own realization of what he had done. And here is the kicker, Jesus did not allow any of it to worry Him.

We can take a lesson from Jesus. Rather than allowing our betrayer to rule our lives with worry and distraction, we can continue to focus on our purpose. If we are distracted, ask God to remove the distraction from our thoughts. Ask God to remove our hatred and forgive our betrayer. We have the key to release ourselves from the prison we have put ourselves in with our focus on our betrayer.

I pray we all overcome our feelings of betrayal. I pray we ask God to remove us from our prison. I pray each one of us will choose to follow Jesus’ example. Forgive those who betray you. Be released from your prison. Focus on your purpose. Ask Jesus to walk with you. Follow His example.

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

Jesus Messiah

Have you ever experienced a loved one being told they had a short time to live? Have you experienced grief the moment you heard it? Has the grief been so overwhelming that you didn’t hear anything else said for a few moments?

If we live long enough, we will experience the sorrowful news that a loved one doesn’t have much longer to live. I’ve been through that a few times in my life. Grief, worry, and maybe even despair set it. It can cause us to miss what is said shortly thereafter. I can cause us to walk around in a fog for a few minutes, hours, or even days.

The disciples missed what Jesus said after He said He would be betrayed and killed. They missed Him say He would be raised to life on the third day. When they heard He was going to be killed, their brains went into shock, grief, sorrow, and despair.

Why would we think the disciples would react any differently than we do? Jesus was a close companion of theirs. He had become both mentor and friend. They acknowledged Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, but I’m not sure they fully recognized what that meant yet. Don’t we do the same thing?

Don’t we fail to recognize what it fully means for Jesus to be the Son of God? We look at Him as though He were another person. We look at Him as a friend, a co-worker, a loved one, but fail to see Him as the Son of God. We fail to see that He overcame death. Oh, we acknowledge it intellectually. We just don’t comprehend it fully.

We live our lives in a fog, not fully seeing Jesus for who He is. Otherwise, our lives would be much different. And, unfortunately, every other person we meet is living in the same fog. We’ve never seen anyone who has been resurrected. It’s tough to wrap our brains around it. But if we can get just a glimpse, it will alter our lives dramatically.

I pray we all make the attempt to see Jesus for who He really is. I pray we see Him as the risen Savior. I pray each one of us will gain a deeper understanding of what it means to conquer death. Seek to see beyond the fog. Seek to understand Jesus. Know that He overcame death. Allow Him to alter your life.

Matthew 17:22-23 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Creative Obedience

Are you a person who needs checklists to maintain order? Do you need to be told exactly, step-by-step, what to do? Or are you a person who works best with general guidance? Do you work better when you can be creative to accomplish a task?

In general, there are two types of people when it comes to needing direction. One type needs explicit instructions. The other needs a goal and nothing more. However, it is rare that any of us are only one way or the other. We typically fall somewhere in between, leaning more to one side or the other.

I remember being a Marine and having to learn to think and learn to follow Commander’s Intent. A unit commander would give a subordinate commander a task, but not the specifics to accomplish it. For instance, he may say to defend a hill. The subordinate commander had to determine how to deploy his small unit, whether fighting holes needed to be dug or not, and where to post listening or lookout sentries.

In many ways, this is just what God has done through Jesus Christ. He has given us the command to love our neighbor, but He didn’t give us specific instructions as to how. This is what Paul is talking about in today’s passage when He compares the letter versus the Spirit.

Think about it. If we were given explicit instructions and failed to follow them exactly, we die. That’s what the old Law did for the Jews. However, by giving us the freedom to tackle the general commands Jesus gave, we are provided the opportunity to be creative to accomplish them. We can allow the Spirit to direct us according to our situation. This gives us life and reduces the possibility of failure.

I pray we all choose to follow the Spirit. I pray we learn to obey the commands of Jesus creatively. I pray each one of us ask God to lead us by His Spirit and open our minds. Be creative. Learn to think. Ask God to open your mind. Follow the Spirit. Seek freedom. Seek life.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Eternal Covenant

What do you know about covenants? Have you been told they are like contracts? Have you heard a covenant is similar to a promise? Do you think of a covenant as a legal document? Have heard of a covenant being an agreement between two parties?

We often hear someone explaining a covenant with God being similar to a contract. We hear of it being like a legal agreement. Perhaps that is due to our lack of understanding of God’s promises. Perhaps we need a better understanding.

In one respect, it is true God’s covenant is between Himself and us. Yet, in another respect, it is God making a promise we can accept or reject. In every case of a covenant in the Bible, blood was required. In the Old Testament, it was the blood of an animal, usually a lamb. In the New Testament, it was Christ’s blood that sealed the New Covenant.

However, equating a covenant to a legal contract does not do it justice. Though similar, the difference is God will never break His covenant with us. We hear of and may even break a contract ourselves. God never will. In our culture, we know people go to court over the legalese within a contract. Not with God’s covenant.

I sometimes like to think of God’s covenant with us like a blood brother’s oath. If you are old enough, you have heard of this or may have done it. Two people cut a thumb or finger so that it bleeds, and they rub their blood together, making an oath to be true to one another forever. Typically, both parties take it very seriously and do not break their oath.

God’s covenant with us is even more serious than a blood brother’s oath. It is more serious than marriage vows. It is more serious than an oath of office. It is more serious than any contract. It is a promise of God that He will never break, even if we reject His covenant.

I pray we all take God’s covenant with us very seriously. I pray we accept His covenant. I pray each one of us will live within the covenant God has made with us, accepting eternal life. Know that God does not neglect His promises. Know that God’s covenant is forever. Trust God’s promises. Accept God’s covenant. Accept an eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Be United

Have you noticed the division across our country? Have you noticed division in your local community? Is there division within your workplace? Is there division within your local church? What will come from all the division?

We cannot miss the division we are continually bombarded with in the news. It seems every news story is about and exacerbates division on whatever topic it covers. Division results in the organization that is divided to fall.

I know. The arguments on both sides have valid points. Both sides dig in their heels and refuse to budge. The result is ruin. We can continue to dig in our heels, or we can choose to give in so we continue to stand. That is not to say we cannot have healthy debate. But healthy debate does not include slander, hatred, stubbornness, nor mudslinging. Healthy debate results in an agreed upon way forward. It results in remaining united.

Jesus knew this hard truth and stated the obvious to those who were accusing Him of casting out demons in Satan’s name. Yes, it is obvious that a person or group who works against itself will be torn apart and fall. It doesn’t take much thought to see the truth in Jesus’ statement. If a husband and wife are continually pulling in different directions, they will eventually separate. If one part of an organization is going in one direction and another part is going in another, the organization will experience failure and eventually go out of business.

Jesus prayed that we, the church, would be united (John 20:20-23). He did so on purpose. He knew the truth He speaks in today’s passage. If we are divided, why would we believe we will succeed in reaching a broken world? Why would we think we can grow God’s kingdom (and our churches) here on earth? We must be united as the body of Christ if we are to do His will.

I pray we all seek to be united in Jesus Christ. I pray we set aside our differences to do the will of God. I pray each one of us spend time praying for unity in the body of Christ, the church. Eliminate division. Seek unity. Pray for unity. Trust in the truth of Christ. Know that He has prayed for us.

Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Strength in the Father

Have you ever felt betrayed? Was it a family member who betrayed you? Was it a friend you considered to be close? Was it a co-worker you thought you could trust? Was it a spouse? Were you devasted when it happened?

The likelihood of us being betrayed at some point in our lives is high. The betrayal may be relatively simple and easily overcome or it may be very significant and hurt deeply. But make no mistake about it, it will come sooner or later.

What can we do to prepare ourselves for the betrayal? The same thing Jesus did. Have a great relationship with the Father. Our strength to get through that extremely trying time comes from Him. Jesus forewarned His Apostles they would be betrayed. His warning is for us as well. He set an example for us. He knew He would be betrayed. He knew He would need the Father’s strength. We will, too.

I know this personally. I was unceremoniously relieved of duties a few years ago, meaning I was fired. I was the fall guy for a failure by a junior person who was halfway across the country. I’m not even sure who the real betrayer was. It may have been my boss, his boss, or our client. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is I had a good relationship with my Father and trusted in Him to get me through the difficult time. My relationship was built on years of not merely going to church, but actively participating and studying God’s Word and spending time in prayer.

Each of us can be prepared for the betrayal to come by building our relationship with God. He is patiently waiting for us to come to Him. He desires a close relationship with each of us. But He won’t force us to come to Him. It is our choice.

I pray we all choose to participate in church activities. I pray we choose to study God’s Word. I pray each of us choose to build a close relationship with God before the betrayal comes. Be prepared for betrayal. Rely on God’s strength. Build a close relationship with Him. Be an active member in your church. Spend time studying God’s Word. Spend time in prayer.

Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Deep Truths

Do you want to be a servant of God? Are you trustworthy? Do others respect you? Will you pursue and hold onto the deep truths of faith?

The Greek word for deacon, diakonos, literally means “to wait on tables.” In our society today, a person who waits on tables does not necessarily command a lot of respect, although some do. However, in the first century, only the wealthy had such servants. Those servants had to be trustworthy. They were respected by those who employed them. After all, they often tasted the food before it was put before their employer.

In the New Testament, the term deacon is used to identify someone who is well respected and who is trustworthy to carry the message of Christ to others. Carrying the message does not mean they were preachers. In fact, they almost never preached. They carried the message through service to others, being the hands and feet of Christ to those in need.

The deacon also serves alongside the overseer or elder, often carrying out supporting efforts. In the case of Phoebe, she was serving with Paul and carrying out his orders by delivering his letter to the church in Rome. She was on one of the most important missions of the New Testament era being entrusted with Paul’s message.

I pray we all conduct ourselves in such a way as to be trustworthy. I pray we are respected for our behavior and attitudes toward the children of God. I pray each of us seek to hold the deep truths of faith. Be trustworthy. Seek respect. Seek to maintain respect. Keep hold of the deep truths of faith. Have clear conscience.

1 Timothy 3:8-10 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

Respect

Are you looking for respect? Do you wonder why people do not respect you? Have you looked at how you live your life lately? Have you asked yourself, honestly, how you would react to someone who behaves like you do?

We may be wondering why people don’t show us respect. As the old adage goes, respect is not given, it is earned. It is earned through hard work. It is earned through good behavior. It is earned by being an upstanding person who is mostly self-sufficient.

We all want respect. Unfortunately, we don’t all work to gain the respect we want. Why? My guess is we value being selfish over being respected. Think not? Think about the choices we make. We choose to back out on someone because someone else asked us to do something we like better. We ask others regularly to do things for us rather than doing for ourselves. We buy a new outfit for ourselves rather than helping a homeless person find a place to live. What is the common thread in all these choices? It’s all about me, it’s selfishness.

Notice what the Apostle Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to gain respect. Mind your own business. Work with your hands. And a couple of verses prior to today’s passage, he said to love all of God’s family. This is how we earn respect. Why? Others will see us doing the right thing and respect us for it.

Earning respect is no easy task. And, unfortunately, it only takes one slip up to lose it. Earning and keeping the respect of others is a 24/7/365 task. We can never let our guard down. No, if we want respect, especially as we grow old, we must earn it every moment of every day for many years leading to our older years.

I pray we all want to be respected. I pray we commit to earning respect and keeping it. I pray each one of us take the first step toward earning respect and keeping it for our entire lives. Mind your own business. Work with your hands. Love everyone in God’s family. Earn respect. Keep respect.

1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Sufficient Grace

Do you have a weakness you just can’t seem to overcome? Have you been frustrated by the weakness for a long time? Have you considered you were given the weakness for a purpose? Do you know that God is glorified in your weakness?

Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have at least one weakness. For some of us, the weakness is glaringly apparent. For others, it is less apparent. But we all have a weakness we must deal with throughout our lives.

We may wonder why God would give us a weakness. After all, if He wants us to work for Him, we might think it would make sense to make us strong. But God’s design is to make us strong in community. He intentionally gave us weaknesses so that we must rely on others.

He is also glorified in our weakness. That may sound counterintuitive. Yet, when He works through our weakness to reveal Himself, He is glorified. It is only by Him working in our lives that we can accomplish tasks that require our weakness to be a strength. That is when we give glory to God for helping us and others see God working in our lives.

The Apostle Paul was no different than any of us. He had a weakness he wanted God to remove or strengthen. But he was told that God’s grace was sufficient. God used his weakness to glorify Himself. Paul knew it was God working through him. Paul gave the glory to God and those who knew Paul also glorified God as they saw God working in him.

I pray we all ask God work through our weaknesses. I pray we give up making excuses and rely on God to help us execute His plan. I pray each of us accept our weakness and trust God is in control. Give the glory to God. See Him working in your life. Trust He will help you in your weakness. Know that God’s grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 12:7b-9 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

We Are Messengers

Have you been a messenger? Have you been part of an advanced party to set up for the main party’s arrival? Have you been entrusted with preparing the way for someone else? If so, did it turn out to be more work than you thought?

We prepare in advance for many different events. We may prepare for a birthday party in advance—blowing up balloons, baking a cake, putting frilly tablecloth on the table, setting up extra tables and chairs, and making the food for everyone.

I remember being sent on an advance party to Korea for a deployment while still in the Marines. We arrived ahead of the main unit to prepare for their arrival. We filled sandbags, strung concertina wire, set up tents, set up radios, installed a local network for computers, and generally had an entire camp set up for them when they arrived. It was a lot of work. Once the main unit arrived, we were dissolved into it and carried out our normal tasks like everyone else.

Being the messenger that goes ahead of Jesus is no small task. I can imagine those messengers going around town telling people He was coming. They likely tried to round people up to listen to His message. The messengers knew the importance of His message and tried to get people to come to listen to Him. But not everyone would take time to listen.

We face this challenge still today. Jesus will return. But at that time, there will be no more time for messengers to prepare the way. He will be returning to reclaim His own and finish the defeat of Satan and all who follow him. Our task can appear to be daunting. It is definitely urgent. We are entrusted with a very important message—Jesus is Lord and Savior. May we take up the task of being a messenger.

I pray we all understand the importance of being a messenger. I pray we realize we are messengers for Jesus. I pray each one of us takes the task of being His messenger seriously. Be a messenger for Jesus. Tell others of His saving grace. Jesus will return to claim His own. Prepare the way for His return.

Luke 9:52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;