forgiving judas

God put this message on my heart to share.

I was reading in the Gospels last night and opened to the moment where Jesus is betrayed by Judas. What’s interesting is that Judas could have betrayed Jesus any other way, but he comes to Jesus with a kiss. Pretty bizarre actions to precede what he’s about to do.

Yet Judas betraying Jesus isn’t the end of the story.

Jesus begins to face examination and is beaten. He’s walking towards his death.

And what about Judas? Where is he? Scripture doesn’t say that he’s filled with joy or counting the money he made. The Bible doesn’t paint a picture of bliss for this antagonist who finally got what he plotted and schemed for. No, not at all. Instead, we see a character who’s overwhelmed by his sin.

He’s overcome with remorse and regret, and tries to unsuccessfully undo what cannot be undone. Judas gives back all the money he was given to betray Christ and is shattered when he realizes the magnitude of his actions. The despair of his sin overwhelms him so much that he ends it all.

Here we see something God wants us to remember. The sins done by others never appease them. Betrayal is not something the human soul was made to carry. People who give themselves over to wickedness and evil have no peace and no rest. The end result of sin is that it leads to death. Not always physical as in this case, but in the death of relationships, inner peace, and wholeness in life.

When Jesus calls us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and do good to those who mistreat us, He’s doing so because as God, He fully knows how their sin will catch up with them. It’s not something they will easily be able to live with. Those who betray others soon find themselves feeling betrayed themselves - betrayed by all the lies sin whispered to them.

So we must forgive those who betray us because they will have to face the consequences of their sin - either now or eventually. God is not a God who lets evil win. We must pray for their souls and agree with Christ’s words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Ultimately, we must pray for God’s mercy on their souls and that they seek and find Jesus in their agony and anguish. Let us pray that they have an end like Peter, who sinned and was restored, and not like Judas, who felt like he had to pay for his own sin and that there was no hope. There is always hope - for both the one betrayed AND the betrayer. God’s saving work in Jesus Christ is enough to heal, restore, and redeem both.

what if?

“What if I’m a loving God?”

The question gripped my heart as I drove through the night. A recent devastation and another upcoming disappointment on the horizon were presently tangling my heart into a huge mess.

Through the darkness, tears, and prayers, God’s voice came to my heart: “What if I’m a loving God?”

I was immediately convicted. What if my circumstances currently crushing me weren’t reasons to question or distrust God, but to pull me into greater trust in my Heavenly Father? To trust His plan in how things were working out in my life even when that meant that my plans had to completely fall apart.

That question was all it took for a spark of hope to ignite in my soul.

I always believed that God was loving. I knew that in my head and my heart. And yet when my version of how life should be wasn’t unfolding, it shook me. Life seemed more like a nightmare than a bad dream. It didn’t just feel like my plans failed but that my life was shattered.

But what if all of this was precisely because God loved me? Loved me enough to not let me get my way, to get second-best, to settle for my meager plans over His majestic ones.

What if God was showing His greatest love to me by not letting me have what I thought I wanted? What if I needed this breaking? What if His mercy was wrapped up in my disappointments and devastations? What if He’s a loving God?

I know that God is loving so I know that this is true: God’s plans for me, although mysterious and challenging to discern at times, are always wrapped in love. So when His plan is different than mine, instead of questioning Him, I can trust that He sees something greater than I can, He knows more than I know, His purposes are greater than mine.

I recently heard the testimony of a woman whose plans fell apart so that God’s plans could fall into place. For almost ten years, she and her husband had battled infertility and suffered several devastating miscarriages. Through it all, they held onto their faith in the Lord, trusting in His plan in their deepest pain. Eventually, God opened both of their hearts to adoption. Because of friends they had living in Ukraine, they decided to pursue an international adoption of two brothers from that country. Their adoption was finalized almost a year to the day before the invasion of Ukraine started. All that woman had wanted was to be a mom. That was her plan. It was a beautiful plan. Yet God’s plan was to rescue two orphan brothers from an upcoming war. His plan was infinitely greater. His plan was best.

I don’t have all the answers for the pain and suffering in this world. I won’t try to tell you why that bad thing was allowed to happen to you. But I do know this: It’s never the end of our stories. God’s not done. He’s still writing. Let’s trust Him with the pages that seem blank and unknown to us, a future that's not ours to see yet. There is One in Heaven who sees it all and He’s writing a story - for our good, His glory, and the saving of others’ lives.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for being my Loving God. Even in the twists and turns of my story, I know that it’s all covered in Your love and mercy. I trust You to write the best story. Give me faith like a child and joyful expectation in You alone. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done. May my story bring You glory in every way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

life's interruptions = divine interventions

I have a question I want to ask you: What would your life look like if you radically obeyed God?

When you felt Him speak something to your heart and you didn’t just hear it, but you did it right away?

When He tells you to forgive someone…

When He tells you to give something to someone…

When He tells you to do something that you don’t want to do…

When He tells you to trust Him with that circumstance that you’ve been struggling to trust Him with…

When He tells you to ___________________ {insert His voice to you in this season}

What would your life look like if you radically obeyed God?

Put aside your will and your wants.

Consider the fact that the God of the universe is talking to you.

Maybe it’s hard to hear.

Maybe it’s not what you want to hear.

But God is telling you something.

God is speaking to you.

You have a choice.

You will be blessed if you follow Him.

It will take faith to forgive, love, trust.

But how amazing it is that God is trying to get your attention.

He’s interrupting you so that you can stop chasing your will and you can start living out His.

Which is good, pleasing, and perfect.

His will is best.

He’s been trying to get your attention.

But He won’t take your power to choose away.

He desires and longs for you to choose His plans, to see the beauty in taking His hand in faith and following where He leads.

There’s a reason why.

His plans > your plans.

Don’t miss it.