Hello
I trust all is well.
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat™
“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”. Matthew 27:4 NLT
Judas certainly took a long time to recognise Jesus’ innocence. One would think that as one of Jesus’ twelve, he would not be even remotely associated with Jesus’ death. But, Judas had been distracted. And distractions sometimes result in us disappointing God.
Judas’ initial reaction after he sees what he had done wrong, is one which bears copying. For once he realized what he’d done, Judas declared/acknowledged his sin. How about us? When we have sinned, how readily do we acknowledge our sin, and how willing are we to make amends?
The problem with Judas’s action was that it was too little, too late. When he finally recognised his sin, Jesus was virtually dead and Judas could not hit the Undo button. Not at all. And that’s part of the issue with sin. We may try to make repairs, but once committed, it has been done. However there is forgiveness to be found for each of us when sin. We only have to ask.
Judas was not alone when he sinned, was he? His sin actually involved a deal with the religious leaders of the day (Yes church leaders do do stupid things). After they received what they desired from him, they were NOT willing to be publicly tainted by Judas’s sin. No siree! So they spurned him.
And that’s an important life lesson for us: sometimes those who encourage us into wrong are nowhere around when we get in trouble – whether with God or with others. So let’s not wait on others before we confess our sins TO God. Let’s restore the balance of our relationship by doing everything within our power to be honest with God.
Easier said than done? Yes, but more life preserving. Especially if we acknowledge our sin TO GOD, and not to others. Judas’s confessed to the religious leaders, but he did not believe that he would be forgiven by God for his sin. But Jesus promised us that we can find forgiveness when we sin. Let’s choose to believe Him.
As we continue with our personal self check, let us do TWO things
Invite Jesus to show us where we’ve sinned
So God’s forgiveness when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.
May God’s grace and peace sustain us continuously
Thanks for joining us in this Divine feast.
In Christ
