Daily Devotional for March 30, 2015

Luke 22:1-6
And now the Passover celebration was drawing near—the Jewish festival when only bread made without yeast was used. The chief priests and other religious leaders were actively plotting Jesus’ murder, trying to find a way to kill him without starting a riot—a possibility they greatly feared.

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went over to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guards to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were, of course, delighted to know that he was ready to help them and promised him a reward. So he began to look for an opportunity for them to arrest Jesus quietly when the crowds weren’t around.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Do you remember when you were a little kid, and maybe a group of other youngsters wanted to do something that they knew they shouldn’t…so they sought a scapegoat? Maybe they wanted to bust some windows in an old building…and they encouraged a younger sibling or friend to actually do the dirty work while they watched.  Wanting to please…and maybe motivated by some sort of incentive (like a candy bar or a special toy – or merely the approval of the older children)…the younger child agreed to “do the dirty deed.”  And then, when the damage was discovered, the older kids scattered like marbles…leaving their “patsy” to suffer the consequences.

I’ve read the scriptures about Judas Iscariot…I’ve examined some writings about his life and speculations on his motives. And here’s what I have concluded…Judas loved Jesus.  And Jesus surely loved Judas.  But Judas was “one of those people” who could be easily swayed, and this passage from Luke 22 says that the devil took advantage of this character flaw.  He (the devil) started small…planting seeds of doubt about the effectiveness of Jesus’ ministries…filling Judas’ mind with questions about why such expensive perfumed oil was used to wash Jesus’ feet…creating seemingly tiny “frictions” between Judas and the other disciples.

From there, it escalated to a point that Judas found himself accepting a paltry 30 pieces of silver in exchange for a “kiss” that he agreed to plant on Jesus’ cheek.  I don’t know that Judas ever in his wildest dreams imagined that the horrors of this Holy Week would occur.  At the most, he probably thought the Romans would rough Jesus up a bit, detain Him for a few days, then release Him and maybe tell Him to “hit the road, Jack - and never come back!”  Judas’ suicide indicates to me that he was remorseful…frightened…distraught over his mistake.  Taking his life was ultimately Judas’ worst transgression, because I believe that Jesus would have forgiven him, had he repented.

But this is how these things happen.  They start small…often with something that is seemingly innocent.  We listen to a comment here…we laugh and snicker at a racist remark there…we turn and look the other way when someone is mistreated or discriminated against.  And the first thing you know, we’ve signed on for bigger “jobs”.  We’re openly calling people derogatory names…picking up our bag and moving to another row or seat when someone we deem to be offensive sits beside us…or teaching our children to hate certain races, ethnicities, people of different lifestyles, those who do not fit our “model” of socio-economic success, and those who are too fat or have a wild hair color or body art and piercings.  We “plant the kiss” that says, “This is the person to persecute!”  And it never even occurs to us that in doing such things, we have just betrayed Jesus as surely as Judas Iscariot did that fateful night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Hear the Good News…just as surely as Jesus loved Judas – He loves each of us.  And just as I believe that Judas could have been forgiven and set upright, I believe that each of us can experience forgiveness – and salvation/restitution through the blood of Jesus.  THIS is the Good News of Holy Week! 

We are all potentially “Judas”…but we can turn this around…today…now…this minute!  We can close the door on the devil, drop the money bag, and “turn this car around”!  Don’t you want to do this?  Aren’t you ready to sit at the feet of Jesus once again…free of any guilt, shame or remorse?  Will this be the day that you seek His forgiveness and get started?  Don’t you think it should be?

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 15, 2015

Habakkuk 1:12-13
God, you’re from eternity, aren’t you? Holy God, we aren’t going to die, are we? God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline? But you can’t be serious! You can’t condone evil! So why don’t you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch!
 
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.
 
If ever there were a scripture passage that seemed timely, this is it.  I listened to the latest “worldwide caution” issued by the State Department earlier today…as well as warnings from several “experts” on terrorism who say we should all be expecting an attack at some point…that there will be more confrontations and acts of violence committed against innocent people...that we need to be careful, and stay alert for anything amiss.
 
Does this mean we should adopt an attitude of fear and suspicion of every person or situation we encounter that seems a little “off” or different?  I don’t think so.  These alerts are not meant to make us leery of anyone who doesn’t look like us – or worship as we do.  It is not a license to discriminate and operate in rigidity and intolerance toward any person or group – all in the name of “safety”.
 
The bigger question many may be asking is, “Why, God…WHY?”  Many may be wondering why God is allowing evil men to do evil things…and to hurt innocent people in the bargain.  It’s a logical question…and the answer is not that this fulfills some Biblical prophecy!  Please…let’s NOT go THERE!
 
I believe that God wants us pay careful attention to the details of our lives.  I don’t think that He intends for us to deliberately put ourselves in harmful situations.  Yet, some of us do this by the very words we use when posting social media comments and talking amongst our “friends” about other people - using derogatory terms and suggesting that those who are not like us in some manner should all be locked up, tortured, or even killed.
 
God calls us to mind our words and our actions.  Should we encounter an evil situation, this will be our “Daniel moment"…our opportunity to stand up for what we believe – and for WHOM we serve.  If we are injured or killed in the process, the “bad guys” have not truly won.
 
We need to get a grip…to put this into perspective…to pray for the families and friends of those slain in Paris - and around the world – by the evil factions who wish to do us harm.  And we need to prepare in the most important way – by making sure that we have a right relationship with Jesus Christ…that we are ready to meet Him face-to-face at a moment’s notice.
 
God will deal with evil – in His time and in His manner.  This is not our worry.  His heart breaks over their deeds, and He will attend to their punishment in due time.  Meanwhile, we believers in Jesus Christ truly are safe…in His powerful and loving arms.  Nothing and no one can harm us there.  And this should be our primary focus. Are you truly prepared in the way that matters most?  Isn’t it time you were?
 
©2015 Debbie Robus