Always Lessons To Be Learned From Scripture

Aren't Cattails cool?  : )

When I read the Bible it amazes me how a small passage can be packed with life lessons.  This morning I was reading from the Book of Luke, Chapter 22, verses 1 - 6.  It is titled "Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus".  It seems odd that I'm about to come to the crucifixion of Jesus when we are about to begin the season of the birth of Jesus but it's just where I am in my Bible reading right now.

In this small passage we see the chief priests and the teachers of the law looking for ways to get rid of Jesus.  Now let's stop here.  "Men of God" wanting to KILL Jesus?  Here are men who knows the Old Testament, knows the Ten Commandments (and one of the Ten Commandments is "thou shalt not kill"), teaches others to uphold these teachings and commandments and are now plotting, in secret, to kill Jesus.  The life lesson here is that NOTHING is "done is secret" from God.  NO THING.  He knows absolutely everything.  He's sees absolutely everything.  There is not one idea, scheme, plan, thought, etc. that He doesn't know about.  A lot of people do things under the cover of darkness thinking that if man can't see them they'll get away with it.  But God sees it and He is the only one that counts.

This passage also says they were afraid of the people.  Their reputation was at stake.  They wanted to be seen as upright men.  Men who were wise and were looked up to to do the right thing.  Another life lesson.  A lot of people are more concerned about what other people think of them rather than what God thinks of them.  Again, it's what's God's opinion of them that counts.

The next thing we read is that "Satan entered Judas" - there are so many people who do not believe that evil exists (which I don't understand at all if they look around and see what's happening in this world).  Our days are battlegrounds for good versus evil.  It's a spiritual battleground for our hearts and souls and minds.  And we need to be reminded daily to pray "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil".  Pray that God would fight for us.  Pray that He would walk ahead of us and pull out those landmines of temptations lest we destroy ourselves.  We need to pray for our family and friends in this way.  Judas sold his soul for a few lousy coins and this passage says "they were delighted".   Evil delights when we mess up.

There is a reason that the Gospel is called the "Good News" though.  It teaches us these life lessons so that we learn from them!  There isn't one of us who hasn't messed up at some point in our lives.  And it doesn't do any good to point fingers and say that we weren't as bad as so and so because sin is sin - and we are all sinners and we all sin.  But, for the Grace of God, we repent of that sin and turn from our ways and salvation through Jesus comes to us and changes our lives.  Those sins are as far as the east is from the west and we are made new.  

So, remember that nothing is hidden from God and He is just a prayer away.  : )