Are You Like Judas?
“But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to the man who betrays him!”
- Luke 22:21-22
When reading the title of today’s devotion, it is easy to quickly dismiss this idea. Judas is the one character in the Bible nobody wants to be. He betrayed Jesus, and that is the reputation he will always have. However, what most people do not realize is that we are all more like Judas than we would like to admit.
We all betray God. Every time you sin, you are betraying God. Obviously, you do not set out to sin or to do the exact opposite of what God is asking you to do, just as Judas initially had no intentions of betraying Jesus. But instead, he became frustrated as he waited on God. Judas wanted Jesus to be the Savior in military fashion and overtake the Roman Empire. When he realized this was not Jesus’ plan, he became frustrated and instead decided to betray God.
So this begs the question, are you like Judas? Is there something in your life that you believe God should do? Do you have a timeline for when you believe it needs to be done? And if so, when God does not do what you believe He should, in the time frame you believe He should, do you take matters into your own hands? This is was Judas did. He had an expectation for what Jesus should be doing and when He did not do as Judas wished, Judas sold Jesus out and betrayed him.
We are all guilty at one time or another of taking matters into our own hands and manipulating circumstances as we believe they should be. Perhaps you are caught in that type of situation right now. Are you currently expecting God to do something in your life or in the life of someone you care about? Not only do you believe you know what God should do but when He should do it? (Probably, NOW.)
If you are finding yourself in this situation, give it to God. You read the story of Judas and wonder, why did he do that? But here you stand in the same spot… so will you different? Will you give it to God? Will you allow Him to work things out as He sees fit? In His timing? You already know which outcome would be best. Learn from Judas, and choose God’s way.
- Luke 22:21-22
When reading the title of today’s devotion, it is easy to quickly dismiss this idea. Judas is the one character in the Bible nobody wants to be. He betrayed Jesus, and that is the reputation he will always have. However, what most people do not realize is that we are all more like Judas than we would like to admit.
We all betray God. Every time you sin, you are betraying God. Obviously, you do not set out to sin or to do the exact opposite of what God is asking you to do, just as Judas initially had no intentions of betraying Jesus. But instead, he became frustrated as he waited on God. Judas wanted Jesus to be the Savior in military fashion and overtake the Roman Empire. When he realized this was not Jesus’ plan, he became frustrated and instead decided to betray God.
So this begs the question, are you like Judas? Is there something in your life that you believe God should do? Do you have a timeline for when you believe it needs to be done? And if so, when God does not do what you believe He should, in the time frame you believe He should, do you take matters into your own hands? This is was Judas did. He had an expectation for what Jesus should be doing and when He did not do as Judas wished, Judas sold Jesus out and betrayed him.
We are all guilty at one time or another of taking matters into our own hands and manipulating circumstances as we believe they should be. Perhaps you are caught in that type of situation right now. Are you currently expecting God to do something in your life or in the life of someone you care about? Not only do you believe you know what God should do but when He should do it? (Probably, NOW.)
If you are finding yourself in this situation, give it to God. You read the story of Judas and wonder, why did he do that? But here you stand in the same spot… so will you different? Will you give it to God? Will you allow Him to work things out as He sees fit? In His timing? You already know which outcome would be best. Learn from Judas, and choose God’s way.
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