Wonderful Jesus!

Make the Adjustment!

Colossians 2:6- As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. NKJV

Paul starts by saying that as we have received Christ the Lord, we are to walk in Him. What does that mean? I like how the Amplified version reads:

As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him.
Colossians 2:6 AMP

According to this version of the scriptures, our walk in the Lord is a regulation of our lives and conduct that agree with Him and adapt to Him. In other words, once we become Christians, although we are physically the same people, (though some of us change even outwardly), our lives ought to change.

Let’s stop and think about what it means to regulate our lives. Webster defines the term regulate as:

To adjust by rule, method or established mode; as, to regulate weights and measures; to regulate the assize of bread; to regulate our moral conduct by the laws of God and of society; to regulate our manners by the customary forms.
Webster Dictionary, 1828

I find it interesting that to regulate means to adjust. Many people who come into the church today believe that the gospel has to adjust to them. Because God is such a loving God, He made exceptions for them and their sin and they don’t have to adjust to Him or His laws. The church and other believers have to lovingly adjust to them if we are followers of Christ. That’s not how the scripture reads.

When we received the Lord Jesus, it was because at that moment in time we saw ourselves as He saw us, people in need of a Savior. People who understood that we were lost, perishing, without a way to make things better. So we called out to Him for salvation. And He delivered it! At that time, we were willing to do whatever needed to be done to receive Jesus and His salvation. That’s how we first received Him.

We also received Him by faith. I like how Paul described that moment in time:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed…
Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

Paul said that we trusted in Him after we heard the word of truth! Truth and His goodness brought us to the altar of repentance where we first believed. So according to our text, we are to walk in the truth of the gospel that caused faith for salvation to rise in our souls! Pretty simple!

Then we are to adjust our lives to the truth of His holy word. Not what others think that looks like, for example (long dresses, no make-up, no fashion sense, or a somber personality)! Please!!

But there are some things that the word says that we need to adjust to. I’ll share only a few quick ones:

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
Ephesians 4:25 NKJV

Yes! If you lied to save yourself embarrassment or penalty of consequences, you are to adjust your lifestyle to that of an individual who now tells the truth. Will you slip? Probably! But if you trust it to the Savior and ask for His help, you will experience much more victory! The adjustment is worth it!

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Ephesians 4:26 NKJV

How is that possible? Simple when your anger is righteous indignation! When you get angry about the things that God gets angry about. How do you keep from sinning? Pray! Take that anger to God and let Him show you His perspective, or what He wants you to do about a thing. I get angry when I see people living beneath their privilege in Christ. I don’t walk up to them and yell, “Hey! Don’t you know God has so much more for you? Just stop it already!” No! I go to God and pray for them asking Him is there something more that I am supposed to be doing? Sometimes it is yes, and sometimes I just pray and keep moving. Make adjustments!

Nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:27 NKJV

Walking in the Lord means that you don’t give place to the devil! He was your master, but you now have a greater Master, Jesus! So there should not be a sense of obligation to yield to every negative thing that the devil throws at you! Adjust your life!

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
Ephesians 4:28 NKJV

This is what an adjustment looks like! If you were a thief, stop stealing! Go get a job and obtain your money and things in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord! Someone I know had her car stolen. It’s ridiculous to think that you work and get a car or anything, and some thief comes along and thinks they have a right to it! No! So stop being that person and adjust to the person Christ wants you to be!

Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].
Ephesians 4:29 AMP

I had to return to the Amplified to get some help! Unwholesome words that are foul, profane, worthless, or vulgar should not come out of your mouth. Maybe you had a potty mouth before you came to Jesus, but you have to adjust to having a clean mouth. Your speech has to be for building up others and blessing people, not that other stuff you used to do! Adjust, adjust, adjust! We all have to!

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin].
Ephesians 4:30 AMP

Here’s a beautiful picture of regulating our lives in Him. We seek to please Him and not to cause Him grief! Whatever we had in our old lives that caused us to see our need for the Savior was as displeasing to Him then as they are now! You cannot continue to live life as you have always lived it! There should be a change. A notable change! A “people looking at you like you are strange” change! How about a change that makes your “old friends run from you” change! Adjustment is a must! For all of us! Seeking to please Him brings about an undeniable change!

This was not my original intent for the blog tonight but since it is flowing, I’ll flow with it!

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]
Ephesians 4:31

We have to regulate our lives according to His word. We can’t say we act a certain way because of our age! We can’t fall back on our background or personality or anything else as a valid reason for ungodly behaviors and attitudes. We have to adjust to the One who has saved us and delivered us. It’s a lifetime of adjusting. It doesn’t always happen overnight, although the miraculous does occur. Mostly, and honestly, we get up every single day (it seems) deciding to adjust our lives and attitudes to His life and attitude.

Wonderful Jesus!

Though the Mountains Shake!

Psalm 46:2-3- Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah NKJV

There are times when I have to stop and focus on the Lord! That is what this week has been for me, our time. As I sit here right now, all I can think about is the majesty of God!

The psalmist wrote:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 NKJV

God is! He is as real today as He was when the psalmist penned these words, or when He introduced Himself in Genesis. He is as real today as when He spoke to Noah and told him to build the ark, or to Abram when He told him to leave his land. God is real!

The writer of Hebrews wrote:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is…
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

Faith begins with realizing that God is! There are times when people say that “He is up high but He looks down low” and I want to say that God may reside in the heavens, but He is right here with us also. Not distanced and waiting to be called, but with us already.

The psalmist told us that God is our refuge. Webster’s 1828 dictionary gives us this meaning for refuge:

That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a strong hold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy.
Webster Dicitionary 1828

The psalmist used the word for refuge to help us to gain a picture of the God we serve. He is the One who shelters and protects us from danger, distress, or calamity. He is a stronghold for us and protects us by His strength. He is our sanctuary and therefore He secures our safety by His holiness. And when we are in Him, we are inaccessible to the enemy.

I know human nature. You may be thinking that isn’t your testimony. You can name how Sister So and So had something really bad happen to her and she was a devout Christian. You and I both probably can name more than one. However, the word says:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 NKJV

Maybe we need to start focusing on what the word says about God, trusting that word, and leaving the rest for Him to worry about. For He is our refuge and our strength!

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:1-2 NKJV

David realized that God was his refuge and his strength. When David went up against Goliath, he did it in the strength of his God. When he went out against the Philistines, he did so in the strength of his God. Our God.

Today I was remembering when my brother passed away. The day I found out was also the day I was scheduled to teach Bible study. I hurt desperately, but I needed to spend time in the Word so that grief wouldn’t overcome me. Therefore, I decided to teach anyway. But I knew it was impossible to accomplish in my strength, so I traded my weakness and pain for His strength. He didn’t fail me. He’s never failed to provide the strength that I have needed because He is my Strength!

Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
Psalm 46:2-3 NKJV

Trouble will find its way to our doors, as it found its way to David’s door! The psalmist knew where his help and his strength came from, just as David knew.

He said that he chose not to fear. David said the same thing in one of his psalms, that he chose not to fear. He was a warrior in the true nature of being a warrior. He faced death at the edge of a sword on many occasions. He fought God’s enemies and his own enemies. His life was in danger and he was a wanted man, so David had to remind himself not to embrace fear. And there are going to be times in our lives when we will have to remind ourselves not to fear, and to keep trusting God!

The psalmist wrote that if the earth moved, he wasn’t going to allow fear to overtake him. He said that if the mountains were carried into the sea, he wasn’t giving into fear. Mountains being carried into the sea is pretty impossible, but the psalmist said that if it was possible for the mountains to be carried into the sea, he wasn’t giving into fear. He was probably looking at those mountains in Jerusalem when he penned those words!

Then he spoke of waters roaring and being troubled. That psalmist didn’t know what we know, but he believed anyway; his God was Lord over the troubled waters! In Matthew 14, Jesus walked on top of troubled waters that rocked the boat and caused fear to arise in the disciples’ hearts! But the psalmist didn’t know that Jesus would walk on water, he understood that Jesus could walk on water! So a tumultuous sea didn’t bother him because his trust was in the One who was his refuge and his strength! We know Jesus walked on troubled waters, and we know He parted waters, so we can take heart in the midst of troubled waters!

In the next part of this verse, the psalmist said that even if the mountains started to shake at the swelling of the seas, he was going to be alright! In other words, if the waters in the sea got out of control and caused the mountains to shake, he wasn’t going to participate! He was sticking with God!

Our society is looking like it is out of control. Stuff is happening everywhere! People are groaning and moaning about the state of things. Who can we trust? We can trust God in the midst of the chaos! Stating that He is our refuge and strength is more than a cliche, more than positive thinking! It’s more than just willing ourselves to think of good things. It’s declaring like the psalmist that our trust is in the God who is! The God who delivered David over and over again. The One who delivered the children of Israel countless times. The God who walked on water, and even spoke to it to be still! The One who has delivered you and me out of some tough situations. The One who will do it again!

You may have to open your mouth and declare out of the hard place that your God is God and there is none besides Him! You may have to declare that whatever your situation is, you will not give in to fear! You can speak to those raging waters and tell them you take courage in Jesus! You can speak to the storms of life and tell them you will not be moved because as you speak words of truth, you agree with God!

Find peace and safety in the God who is! The God who is your refuge and your strength! The God who is whatever you need today. Decide that even if the mountains start shaking at all the trouble going on, your help and trust is in the Lord, and you are not afraid! Wonderful Jesus!

Planted By Rivers of Waters-Repost!

Psalm 1:3 – “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” NKJV

planted-by-rivers-of-waters.mp3

When I saw this picture, it certainly reminded me of our text for today! Waters flowing, greenery on both sides of the river, and a call to the soul of anyone who loves the great outdoors! Unfortunately, that isn’t me! I can enjoy beautiful scenery like this, or in a movie; but when it comes to this type of nature, let’s just say, I’ll pass! Having said that, I can see the imagery that the psalmist was painting when he said that a blessed man shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.

I pick up verse 3 today, but I must revisit verse 2. We’ve already discussed that a blessed man loves God’s law. In our case, that would be the Bible. A godly man, who loves the Word, is a man who is planted, rooted, and grounded in the Word. He draws his spiritual strength and nourishment from God’s word, much as a tree draws water and nutrients from a river, which is necessary for sustaining life and growth!

The prophet Jeremiah used similar words to describe the man who is blessed:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 – “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord . For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” NKJV

Jeremiah confirms that a man who is blessed is a man with roots! Roots are important to the tree, but they are also important to the soil. Roots give stability to the tree and provide it with nutrients, but it also keeps the soil from eroding. Stable people have a way of keeping those around them, from falling apart. Their strength is easily transferable to those who may be in need, being a blessing because they are blessed.

The psalmist tells us three important things about this tree that is planted, which we understand symbolizes a blessed man:

First, it brings forth its fruit in its season. This sounds a lot like dependability. As a kid I ate a lot of fruit from the trees in the neighborhood: pears, plums, and figs, to name a few. We knew in the summer that we would be able to play outside all day without the need to go in for lunch because we were surrounded by fruit-bearing trees. Some neighbors would ask us to help them harvest the trees and would allow us to have access to them when we wanted them. And honestly, sometimes we would just go and take what we wanted! We depended on those trees in the summertime. When Jesus went to the fig tree and found no fruit, I can well imagine His disappointment in that tree! A godly man is expected to have good fruit in his season, just as we expect fruit to be on fruit-bearing trees in their season!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

This blessed man is an attractive man. I already shared my husband’s way with our girls, but let me tell you, I’m his number one girl. When we met, I saw the fruit of the spirit in his life and was drawn to him. Are you looking for a husband? Make sure he is bearing the fruit of godliness and not just talking about it. Talk is really cheap when you are thinking of committing yourself to a marital relationship! Look for the real deal!

Second, its leaf shall not wither. Jeremiah helps us to understand this a little better. He writes that the leaf will be green and will not be anxious in a drought. He’s planted by waters. Photosynthesis is always happening within a tree that is well-watered and filled with nutrients from that water. Therefore, the leaves are healthy, vibrant, and green. Even in a drought, it doesn’t affect the tree by the waters. Blessed people are not concerned in times of famine or drought because they are planted near the flow of life; a river whose stream makes glad! The Word is a great source of nourishment in a drought. This pandemic has created a drought for many, but those planted in the Word, are still flourishing! Their leaves are still green and healthy! Does that mean that they don’t experience hardship? Not at all! But when things settle down, the blessed will be found standing!

Lastly, whatever he does shall prosper. That’s what God told Joshua!

Joshua 1:8 – “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” NKJV

The word of God causes us to prosper and to have good success! God said it several times and in several ways. The blessed man will be successful and prosperous! It doesn’t get any plainer than that! If you are a carpenter, then God will cause your carpentry to prosper and be successful. If you are a teacher, like I am, then God can cause you to be successful and prosper. Whatever the arena, wherever you go, your way will prosper and you will have good success!

Let me stop here and say what Jesus said many times, “Be it done to you according to your faith!” If you believe this is only about your spiritual well-being, then that’s where you will prosper and have good success. If you believe this applies to your finances and life, again, that’s what you will have. But if you believe it applies to everything that God has for you, including, “every spiritual blessing”, and every natural benefit, yep, that’s what you will receive.

I just sensed that sometimes, we don’t feel like we are blessed because of a lack of material things, the trials we go through, or the fact that we are still single, childless, or jobless. These things can mark the blessed person’s life. But what I wanted to help you to understand, is what God has helped me to understand: the most blessed person in the world is the person who is living their life with God by His standards! And when you get these other things, they won’t pull you off because you know they are the benefits of you being blessed and not the things that make you blessed! Hope that makes sense! Wonderful Jesus!

Happy Resurrection Day!

1 Corinthians 15:13-14- But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. NKJV

He is alive!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

I thank God for Jesus! And I’m especially thankful that my faith is not in vain! Praying you and your family have a safe and enjoyable Easter or Resurrection Sunday today! Wonderful Jesus!

A Time of Victory!

Luke 24:5-6a-Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! NKJV

They crucified our Savior on the tree and laid Him in a tomb. Everyone thought it was over with. That was the end of the story! But we know differently. While His body lay in the tomb, He was busy dealing with the devil, himself!

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:15 NKJV

That’s right! While the disciples were mourning His loss and hiding from the Jewish leaders, Jesus was spoiling principalities and powers and making an open show of them. This is the language of victory!

Paul, as a Roman citizen had probably seen his fair share of triumphs and used this language to describe what happened in the spirit world between Jesus and the spirits of darkness.

During the Roman empire, triumphs were a procession that honored the god Bacchus. When a major battle was won and the war was ended as a result of that battle, a triumph was held. The man who had won the battle would be at the front of the processional that led through the streets of the city on the way to the temple. Following in the procession were the animals to be sacrificed, the spoils of war, and the prisoners that were captured. When they arrived at the temple the sacrifices were offered and the prisoners were slain.
The Encyclopedia Brittanica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/triumph-ancient-Roman-honour

Between the time that Jesus gave up the ghost and the empty tomb, victory was being paraded before the throne of God! The enemy and his principalities and powers were conquered through the shedding of the Blood of Jesus, and while they were thinking it was all over, He was doing His victory parade.

Isaiah uses similar language about His death being a time of obtaining the spoil and having greatness and honor bestowed on Him:

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12 NKJV

A time of victory, not defeat! And it wasn’t over! The women went to the tomb that He had been buried in and yet He was not there! Angels were sitting in the tomb waiting to share the good news:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!
Luke 24:5b-6a NKJV

He got up! Just as He said He would! He was raised from the state of death and mortality into immortality! What they thought was the end for them, had become the beginning of all things new! And yet, they still did not believe.

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
Luke 24:10-11 NKJV

Idle tales? Seriously? Jesus had told them that He would die and on the third day He would be raised from the dead, and they thought this was an idle tale that Jesus was alive!

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:25-27 NKJV

Paul goes into detail about Jesus’ death and resurrection and the people who saw Him:

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NKJV

It was a glorious day when Jesus got up out of the grave. It’s imperative that we, as Christians, believe in the truth of this event for all that we hold dear to us is wrapped in His resurrection:

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1 Corinthians 15:13-19 NKJV

I know I’m heavy on the scriptures in this blog! It’s not enough to think of an empty tomb! We need to understand that the significance of the empty tomb is the realization that He has truly risen. He’s alive!

I leave you with this thought: do you really believe that? I was in a professional development with my colleagues. We were given an icebreaker that held a question: If you could go back and speak to someone who was dead, who would you go back and talk with? My colleague came to me for that question believing that I would say Jesus and was surprised when I gave him another name. I responded to his surprise by telling him that Jesus isn’t dead! Glory Hallelujah! And that’s the gospel truth!

A time of victory! A time of hope! If you know Him as Savior, you are already rejoicing in this truth. If He is still just a historical persona or someone you are interested in, allow Him to become so much more so that you too can experience this blessed hope. Wonderful Jesus!

Prayer for Salvation

A Time to Shed Blood!

Luke 22:63- Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. NKJV

I’ve been building up to this time in the life of the Savior. The crucifixion. All that we read in the gospels about Him is wonderful, until this point. The disciples enjoyed hanging out with Him, watching Him perform miracles while sharing His love with all. They enjoyed Him overthrowing the pious religious leaders and thwarting their rules and regulations. They were having a wonderful time being disciples of the One who carried Himself with so much authority and yet was such a humble man. But they really didn’t understand His true mission:

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 NKJV

That was it! His true mission of why He had come to earth was to give His life as a ransom for mankind. And on more than one occasion, He explained what that would look like:

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
Matthew 20:18-19 NKJV

I’ve shared this in detail in my blog, “A Time of Preparation”, but suffice it to say, they heard and yet they still didn’t understand. They were still unprepared for the assault that came against Jesus.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.
Luke 22:63 NKJV

When we see an image of the crucifixion, the body is generally clean with blood dripping from the hands, feet, and around the head of the person on the crucifix. But things were a whole lot messier than that! From the time they got Jesus in their hooks until He gave up the ghost, they assaulted Him drawing His blood!

Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
Matthew 27:26 NKJV

Although Pilate “washed his hands” of the dealings of the crucifixion, he still had a vital role in it. He released Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees to be crucified after he had Jesus scourged. What does scourging mean?

The Vine’s dictionary gives us a little insight into what Pilate had done to Jesus:

Under the Roman method of “scourging,” the person was stripped and tied in a bending posture to a pillar, or stretched on a frame. The “scourge” was made of leather thongs, weighted with sharp pieces of bone or lead, which tore the flesh of both the back and the breast.
Vine’s Dictionary, http://www.studybible.info/vines/scourge

I saw the Passion of the Christ. I literally cried through the entire movie. My heart ached at the portrayal of what Jesus suffered at the hand of the enemy through the Roman soldiers. It was brutal! There was nothing clean or sanitized about that evening’s events. Isaiah prophesied of that night when he wrote:

He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 53:2-3 NKJV

He was scourged to the point of having nothing of His visage remaining. He was probably unrecognizable after it was all over. Blood was spurting everywhere, landing on the ground, the soldiers, the whips, the bystanders, while His flesh was ripped from His body! No form or comeliness because He was beaten and the whip ripped the flesh where it lay! Jesus! His body was torn apart and His blood ran freely, for us!

And the people rejected Him! They spit on Him, mocked Him, slapped Him around because they saw Him in a weakened condition and misunderstood what was happening.

When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
Matthew 27:29-30 NKJV

More blood! Head wounds tend to be bloody, and they pressed that crown of thorns on His head drawing more blood. Precious Blood from His body.

And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Matthew 27:31 NKJV

Let’s read what the Vine’s dictionary has to say about the term crucify:

Crucify denotes, primarily, “an upright pale or stake.” On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, “to fasten to a stake or pale,” are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed “cross.”
Vine’s Dictionary, http://www.blueletterbible.org

They crucified Him on a stake. They nailed His hands into the wood, then both His feet together. More blood spilled from a body that was weakened with the loss of blood. We know this because He had to help in carrying His cross:

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
Matthew 27:32 NKJV

Blood was everywhere! His Blood! Shed for us! Isaiah the prophet penned these words:

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV

The time had come for Jesus to give His life as a sacrifice for our sins. His blood ran freely as an offering to the Father for those sins. He suffered at the hands of the Gentiles, was mocked, spit upon, ridiculed and beaten, for humanity.

But Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Isaiah all echo the same message: He was rejected of men. You have to admit that He probably looked defeated at this point. It was enough to drive the most dedicated follower to their knees. Enough to send a message of hopelessness. He had been crucified.

But again, we turn to the words of Isaiah:

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV

Things were not how they appeared. What was seen was not the truth of what was happening. Every stripe on His back, and every flow of blood was for our transgression, our iniquities, our peace, and our healing. In the natural it may have been a really gruesome sight, but from heaven’s perspective it was the ultimate statement of love.

On that night, Peter was off licking his wounds, but years later he wrote these words about that night:

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:23-24 NKJV

His Blood still works! It hasn’t lost its power, and it is readily available to cleanse your sin stained soul and make you whole. If you don’t know Him yet as a Savior, it is time that you surrender to the Master. I have included a prayer for salvation and a song of worship. Receive Him today! Wonderful Jesus!

Prayer for Salvation

A Time of Denial!

Luke 22:34- Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” NKJV

Relationships are complicated. Just when you think you have seen it all, experienced it all, or heard it all, you can be surprised by the way people interact with one another. I’m reminded of a young man I dated in college. Things were a little more serious for him than for me, because when I decided it was time to go our separate ways he mentioned that he had always thought we would get married. That was news to me because it had never been a topic of discussion, and I saw it for the lie that it was, so I kept it moving.

Years later, after I was married, my husband and I saw him at a conference and I went over to say hello. (Keeping a relationship pure makes it easier to introduce old friends.) Anyway, when I approached him to say hello, he asked me if he knew me! Seriously? It wasn’t twenty years later, it was at most five years later; but still? When I said it was okay and started walking away, his memory returned. Just like that!

Jesus had a similar experience. Of course, my situation didn’t touch my heart, but the situation with Peter touched Jesus’ heart. Peter is reclining at the seder meal with Jesus and the other disciples when Jesus says to him:

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV

Can you imagine this scene? Peter and Jesus had a tight-knit relationship and Peter thinks all is well. Then Jesus drops this bombshell that Satan has asked for Peter, and he will leave Jesus. All the disciples are together celebrating the Passover, Jesus has revealed Judas as His betrayer, and now He tells Peter that he will leave Him.

We’ve all recognized by this point, that Peter isn’t a shy person. He’s usually the first one with a comment, and he doesn’t disappoint now. He responds to what Jesus has said to him:

“Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
Luke 22:33 NKJV

And in Peter’s mind, he was ready. In a flash Peter may have been remembering some of his experiences with Jesus:

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;and He was transfigured before them.
Matthe 17:1-2 NKJV

Jesus welcomed Peter into His inner circle. Peter was on the mount of transfiguration where he witnessed Elisha and Moses talking with Jesus. That was a special time in Peter’s life.

And when the disciples were in the boat and they saw Jesus walking by, Peter asked if he could join Jesus on the water:

“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Matthew 14:28-29 NKJV

And there was the time Jesus wanted to know who the disciples said that Jesus was, and Peter got the answer right, showing that he knew the truth about Jesus:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16 NKJV

I can see how Peter would have taken offense. I can understand how he was looking at Jesus as if He had forgotten all of their shared experiences, and so he said:

“Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
Luke 22:33 NKJV

I can see the Savior looking at Peter with compassion in His eyes and His heart as He drops an even bigger bombshell on Peter:

“I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”
Luke 22:34 NKJV

Peter cannot believe it! Jesus is really embarrassing him now and he is probably not happy. Why would Jesus say these things? How could Jesus even think that he would do such a thing? Never! It will never happen! And yet, it did!

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance….And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.” But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
Luke 22:54-57

That was the first time. What is Peter thinking? Oops! I can’t believe I just said that! But he had said it.

And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
Luke 22:58 NKJV

That was the second time. Peter! What’s going on with you man? What are you doing?

Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
Luke 22:59-60 NKJV

Luke says that at this point Jesus looks at Peter, and Peter remembers His words:

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:61-62 NKJV

How could Peter forget what the Lord said? It wasn’t twenty years later? It wasn’t even five years later? It was only hours before that Peter vehemently declared his allegiance to Jesus. Peter had said that he would go to prison with Jesus or face death with Him and hours later, he denies that he even knew Jesus. And Jesus is sitting near when Peter denies Him! The gospels of Matthew and Mark state that Peter even cursed! Can you believe this? Yes! Because it’s easy to point the finger and criticize another. But what about us?

Have we ever denied Jesus in our lives? What about that time your friends talked you into something, knowing that you were a Christian, and reminding you of the same, but you played it off and went and did that thing anyway? Isn’t that a denial? What about that time when you casually said that you were leaving “your religion” at home while you went and did something that you knew would displease Him and that you shouldn’t be doing as a believer? Could that be denial? Better yet, how about the years you have spent away from Him while you’ve been doing your own thing, living life the way that you want to live it? Could you be denying the Savior? I hope not!

When Peter came to the realization that he had indeed denied Jesus, in His presence, just like Jesus had said, he left that place for a different place, where he cried his heart out for what he had done. It sounds like repentance!

But I want to draw your attention back to what Jesus said to Peter at the seder:

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV

Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Jesus was confident that Peter would return and encouraged him to strengthen his brothers upon his return. He offers you the same opportunity to return to Him that He extended to Peter! Just repent and receive His forgiveness and His acceptance!

Even realizing that Peter would deny Him and that it would cause Him heartache and disappointment, Jesus left Peter with words of encouragement and not condemnation. He wants you to know that His arms are stretched out still! He’s waiting for you! He’s a wonderful Savior! Wonderful Jesus!

A Time of Prayer!

Luke 22: 39-40- Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” NKJV

Photo by Luis Alberto Sánchez Terrones on Unsplash

There comes a time in all of our lives when a quick prayer just won’t do! A time when we have to fall on our faces before God and cry out with a loud voice because what we are experiencing or we are getting ready to experience is just too much. Such was the place where Jesus found Himself to be on the night that He was betrayed.

Jesus and His disciples had finished the seder meal, He has revealed the betrayer and they are on their way to Jesus’ favorite place of prayer. Judas left to go and report to the chief priests that he knew where Jesus was headed and there would be no crowd around Him. Jesus and His disciples walk over to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:36-38 NKJV

I know of no other place in the Scriptures where Jesus was so vulnerable to His disciples. We don’t have to guess how Jesus was feeling, He told us. As a matter of fact, it appears that He doesn’t want all of His disciples to see Him in this way, because He encourages some of them to wait for Him. Peter, James, and John go deeper into the garden with Him and He tells them,

“My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:38 AMP

Jesus went a little further and prayed for an hour. One of the things that we know He prayed about was the possibility of not having to face the upcoming events. We also know that He was hurting deeply. Surely, hearing this, His disciples would readily agree to watch with Him.

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39 NKJV

The entire hour wasn’t spent saying these words over and again “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me”. He didn’t have a singsongy mantra of “Not as I will, but as You will.” However, we know that He was struggling in His flesh because He had already admitted that He felt grieved and heavy with sorrow.

Jesus knew that with God all things were truly possible, while at the same time understanding that there were some things that were not possible. It was not possible for salvation to be extended to humanity without the death of the Savior. It was not possible for the blood of goats and bulls to wash away our sins. It was not possible for redemption without full payment for sins. Therefore, it was not possible for the cup to pass from Him, that is why He surrendered His sorrow and His will to that of the Father.

When He went back to His disciples, they were asleep.

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:40 NKJV

I find it interesting that Matthew and Mark state that Jesus spoke to Peter. I’m sure you remember that Peter was told by Jesus that he would deny Jesus three times. I wonder if Peter spending time in prayer with Jesus would have given him the strength to say yes instead of no! Peter wasn’t the only one asleep, but he was the one who was told that before the morning arrived, he would deny Jesus!

Before we judge Peter, we should probably all stop and think about the time we faced temptation and weren’t victorious. If we are honest with ourselves, we could probably all admit that we hadn’t taken the opportunity to pray. Jesus tells us the key to avoiding temptation is watching and praying. Watching is simply being alert, and aware of what’s going on, and when we watch and pray, Jesus said that we will not enter into temptation!

Another point that Jesus makes is that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. If you have been in the kingdom for any length of time, you have probably heard this phrase used as an excuse by someone who had given in to temptation. As believers, we should not be using this as an excuse because we are to discipline our bodies and bring them into subjection (1 Corinthians 9:7) so that our spirit dominates our flesh!

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
Matthew 26:42-43 NKJV

Can I be honest and tell you that I find it difficult to pray for a long period of time while sitting? Therefore, when I need to pray for extended periods of time, I pace. I walk back and forth in my bedroom, or in a sanctuary, or wherever because it keeps me engaged in praying and from getting sleepy. Especially when I attend an all-night prayer meeting after a full day of work! So, I get the challenge that the disciples had in staying awake. But, had they prayed with Jesus, He might have gotten His breakthrough faster!

In John 17, we see all the things that Jesus prayed about. He didn’t spend all of His time praying about the challenge of facing the crucifixion. He logically understood that He needed to get on that cross for us. He spiritually understood that without Him dying we would be forever lost! But the humanity in Him didn’t want to do it! Would you have wanted to? Thank God, Jesus pushed past what He felt like doing to what needed to be done!

That is the disciplining of the body that Paul addressed! Our flesh may never feel like doing the right thing. I can pretty much guarantee that it rarely will. But when we develop our spirit beings to control our flesh, and not allow our flesh to dominate our spirit, we will find it can be done! Jesus demonstrated that well!

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
Matthew 26:44-45 NKJV

The third time Jesus went back to pray, He was still sorrowful. But this time something happened while He was praying! He was infused with the power to accomplish the impossible, yet again! He walked away from this time of prayer knowing that He had won in the Spirit what He would now win in the natural.

As I stated in the beginning, there are things that will come our way that a quick prayer won’t change. There are going to be times when we will have to labor in prayer until we have a certainty in our spirit that we win! I believe this is the difference between winning and losing in Christ. Prayer changes circumstances, and prayer changes us! That’s what Jesus’ time in the garden teaches me! You pray until you believe you have met with God, heard from Him, and have received what you needed from God. It’s time to pray like never before! Wonderful Jesus!

A Time Of Remembrance!

Luke 22:19 – And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. KJV

We call it the Last Supper, but for Jesus and His disciples, it was the Passover where they ate the seder meal. Personally, I have only served it once, for a Wednesday night Bible study, but I shall never forget it. The congregation was engaged as the seder was shared, and afterward many came forward to taste the items on the plate. It was a time of remembrance, as God had intended.

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:14 KJV

Moses had done as God commanded. He had gone into Pharaoh’s palace and told him to let God’s people go. Pharoah wasn’t interested in releasing the Hebrew slaves. So God released plagues upon the land.

the first plague was blood in the Nile River (Exodus 7:17-18)
the second plague was frogs everywhere (Exodus 8:3)
the third plague was gnats everywhere (Exodus 8:16)
the fourth plague was flies (Exodus 8:21-22 – this is when God makes a separation of His people and the Egyptians by keeping the flies away from Goshen
the fifth plague was upon the livestock, except in Goshen – (Exodus 9:2-3)
the sixth plague was boils on the flesh of the people and the animals, except in Goshen – (Exodus 9:8-9)
the seventh plague was the hail upon the land, except in Goshen – (Exodus 9:18-19)
the eighth plague was the locusts on the land, except in Goshen -(Exodus 10:4-5)
the ninth plague was darkness on the land for three days, except in Goshen- (Exodus 10:21-23)

All of these plagues were attacks on the Egyptian gods. Our God demonstrated to them that He is the only true God. So with the tenth plague, He silenced the god of ultimate power, the pharaoh! And He did it by striking the firstborn of man and beast:

…Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
Exodus 11:4-5 KJV

Then God told Moses that would not be the case for His people. He was doing something different for His people, He was covering them in the blood:

And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it…
Exdodus 12:7 KJV

This is where the seder meal comes into play. God told them what they were to eat on the night of the Passover forever:

And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:9 KJV

The seder meal has very specific items included. God told them that they were to kill a lamb, and to roast it. Although there is no longer a lamb slain and eaten, the seder plate contains a bone. It also contains a roasted egg which may represent the lack of the roasted lamb for those who do not prepare lamb for the meal.

God told them that they were to have unleavened bread and bitter herbs. On the seder plate today you will find matza, a cracker like bread that is unleavened. The bread that Jesus took, and broke:

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luke 22:19 KJV

Jesus connects the matza with His body. Unleavened bread representing His body without sin, given or offered for us willingly.

God told them to have bitter herbs. On the seder plate, there are bitter herbs, or horseradish. The bitter herbs represents the bitterness of slavery. With each item they took and placed in their mouths, they remembered the events of the first Passover.

And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Exodus 12:22 KJV

Parsely or celery is dipped in salty water, not blood. The green vegetable represents life, and dipping it in the salty water is symbolic of dipping of the hyssop. There is also an apple and nut mixture called the haroset, which represents the bricks the Israelites had to make, this may have been added later.

Throughout the meal they drink from cups of wine. There are four cups of wine at the seder meal. Jesus took up a cup of wine and said:

^{This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.}
Luke 22:20 KJV

For the Jewish nation, the time of Passover is a time of remembrance. They remember the time of captivity, the plagues, the death angel passing over them, their deliverance.

For the Believer in Jesus, not only do we remember that Passover, but we also remember the Passover night when Jesus was betrayed. We remember how He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. We remember the Blood that He shed for our sins, pains, and diseases. We remember how they hung Him on the cross between two thieves, and how He died! For us!

Both events are tied together. The blood that was shed on that first Passover in Egypt was symbolic of the Blood that Jesus would shed on another Passover. That first night, God spared the firstborn of every Hebrew who was covered under the blood of the lamb. But on this night, the night that Jesus died, He was the firstborn Son of God. He had a different outcome. He died on the cross so that one day the death angel would pass over us and we would have eternal life.

He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. His death was a series of horrific events, but He told us that we are to remember these events, just like the Jewish people were told to remember the first Passover in Egypt.

It’s also a great time to remember the day He saved me. The day you were saved. A time to remember that we once was lost, but now we are found. We were blind, but now we see. However, Paul said it like this:

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-13 KJV

Rather you participate in the Passover with the eating of the seder meal, or you sit down to Easter dinner with your family, make sure that it is a time of remembrance. We should never forget what He did for us to give us eternal life. We should never forget the Blood that He shed for us. It’s a time worth remembering!

Our daughter played and sang this song many years ago. It has been a favorite of mine ever since! Enjoy Michael W. Smith as he sings “Above All”! Wonderful Jesus!

A Time of Betrayal!

Matthew 10:4 -… Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. NKJV

Are you ready for today’s post? It’s nothing pretty! But then, betrayal isn’t a pretty picture! Is there anyone reading this blog today who knows what I am talking about? I believe there are quite a few of you!

In January of this year, a news report was aired that stated the person who betrayed Anne Frank and her family was finally discovered. Maybe you read the Diary of Anne Frank when you were in school, or you saw the movie. Maybe you are one of those people who heard the name but can’t remember what happened. In any case, Anne Frank was a Jewish teenager who went into hiding with her family in 1942 to avoid the Nazis. She kept a diary of her experiences. After two years of hiding out, her family was discovered and sent to concentration camps. Only her father survived and it was him who had the diary published. If the news is true, a leader within a Jewish organization was responsible for revealing their hiding place. In exchange for the freedom of his family, he turned over the addresses of Jews who had gone into hiding.

If you have had a friend reveal your most private concerns to others, you understand betrayal. If you have had someone you love throw your love back in your face for another, you can relate. Well, you are in good company because Jesus, our Savior was betrayed by someone He loved, poured His life into, and trusted. He knows your pain!

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
Mark 14:10-11 NKJV

What happened in those months leading up to the biggest betrayal in history that could possibly justify what Judas did? The Bible doesn’t tell us! Maybe with good reason!

In the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, the author shared the theory that Judas was upset when he found out that Jesus was not there to establish an earthly kingdom. Supposedly, he was so upset that this caused him to betray Jesus. Another theory mentioned that Judas was trying to push Jesus into establishing His kingdom by having Him arrested, to move things along, and that’s why he betrayed Him. Most people believe that Judas was just a greedy, selfish individual and thus, He betrayed the Savior.

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
Psalm 41:9 NKJV

Judas hung out with Jesus. He kept the money that they were given. (For those who think Jesus was a poor minister, the fact that He had a treasurer is proof that He wasn’t.) Judas saw the miraculous transpire before his very eyes. He even saw Lazarus get up out of the grave after four days of being dead. Yet, he conspired to betray the Messiah. And in doing so, he opened himself to Satan!

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
Luke 22: 3,6 NKJV

Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples. While they were still at the table, He spoke these words:

“But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
Luke 22:21-22 NKJV

The gospel of John gives us a different point of view:

“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’
John 13:18 NKJV

Peter wanted to know who was the betrayer that Jesus was talking about. He probably looked around that setting and couldn’t come up with a single name, so he asked the disciple closest to Jesus to ask Jesus to identify the person.

Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
John 13:26-27 NKJV

There are some events in the Bible that absolutely captures my thinking, causing me to walk away with more questions than answers. This betrayal is one of those events. I cannot fathom what made Judas get up from that table, after Jesus identified him as the betrayer, and follow through with his plan to betray him. Maybe this is truly one of those times when sin took him farther than he imagined and kept him where he did not want to stay? Or maybe he falls in the category of those who can truly say, “The devil made me do it!” It cost him everything!

After sharing the Passover meal with the disciples, they all went to the garden of Gethsemane (featured image). That is, all except Judas. While Jesus was in that garden, He lamented. He hurt so deeply and prayed so intensely about the upcoming events that He had blood seeping through His pores. I don’t know for a fact, but I am pretty sure Judas’ was on His mind. The time for the ultimate betrayal was getting ready to happen and He felt the cut of it deeply!

Judas was not finished. Not only did He betray Jesus to the chief priests, but he also delivered Jesus into their hands!

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:47-48 NKJV

With a kiss? A symbol of love, reverence, fellowship, and intimacy? No! A kiss of ultimate betrayal! Judas led a detachment of troops with swords to apprehend Jesus (see John 18), and he felt a need to identify Him with a kiss. First of all, didn’t they know who Jesus was? Had they just arrived in Jerusalem and therefore they had no idea about who Jesus was? I don’t think so! I just believe that this betrayal was so thorough that even embracing Him in the end with a kiss was intentional, driving home the point of the ultimate betrayal!

As I stated in the beginning, no one wants to be betrayed. It hurts, and it hurts badly. Some of us seem to never recover from the pain of betrayal. Some, like Anne Frank, never live to realize who the betrayer really was. But most of us see them, sometimes so much, it’s difficult to forget the pain.

I don’t know how your betrayal has turned out. I won’t tell you that you are better off without that person in your life, although you probably realize it yourself. What I will tell you is that you are not alone in your pain. Your Savior knows very well what you have experienced for He went through it Himself. I encourage you to really pour this out to Him. Ask Him to help you to release it and to forgive so that you can be healed. Your time of betrayal has passed, and now it’s your time to be healed! He paid for your pain with His pain. Receive your healing today! I am praying with you! Wonderful Jesus!