Consent & Conviction

Daily Reading: Luke 22

Scripture Focus: So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. (Luke 22:6)

Devotional Thought: Have you ever been betrayed by a close friend? If so, then you know how Jesus felt when Judas betrayed him.

We are told in this passage that the behavior of Judas was the result of Satan indwelling him. What a horrifying thought! "He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money" (v4-5). Money! He put a price on Jesus' friendship. When offered enough money, "he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him."

Judas recognized the evil intention of his heart. He knew that it stemmed from a place of sin and darkness, and therefore was determined to keep it hidden. The Jewish leaders paying Judas for his betrayal recognized this as well, knowing that putting Jesus to death would cause an uproar from "the people" (v2). So, they arrest Jesus as he is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the middle of the night. The gospel of Matthew records the fate of Judas: guilty, he throws his payment into the temple and hangs himself.

When we become convicted of sin in our lives, there are two responses: we will either try to push it away, hiding it from others and even ourselves, or we will feel a godly sorrow that leads us to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). Is there anything in our lives that we are trying to hide under cover of darkness, ashamed at its ugliness? God already knows. Pull it into the light of Christ, surrender it to him, and trust that he is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Jenny

Prayer: Lord, we ask that you cleanse us from all sin. What a terrible price you paid for that sin! Help us to see the true ugliness of our rebellion against you, and lead us in the way everlasting.

Psalm of the Day: 9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. 11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; 13 may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 14 may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD! (Psalms 144:9-15)