February 4,
2020
Luke 12 and
17 were rather powerful for me to study and write about. But Luke 22 – has made me examine my own motives
and discover what my own betrayal looks like.
Right away
in chapter 22 we are reminded of how awful it would be to be Judas. Yet, we are more like him than you may
realize. In fact, I’ll share what our
own betrayal may look like.
We assume
that Judas was with Jesus for the three years of His ministry. Judas listened and saw all the healings. He saw people raised from the dead. But he still had a different idea of what the
Messiah was. He had his own expectations. His view looked differently than what Jesus
was teaching them.
Now, we know
the whole story and we often say, “I would never!” But do you truly know who the enemy is? Do you know how easy it is to betray
Jesus? It’s very humbling to see how
easy it is. Perhaps you’ve built a tower
in a pit and you’re completely blind to it.
Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things and
beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
How often
have you heard about someone who has fallen into a state of sin and you wonder,
‘how could they allow themselves to get here in the first place?’ When I attempt to identify my own areas of
vulnerability, my pits, I’m shortsighted because I gravitate toward the areas which
I clearly see as my weaknesses.
*I’m really impatient
*I like to
plan for the future – I’m detailed oriented
*I have a
lot of expectations
My weaknesses
are rotten, and I recognize them, but rarely do I look to the area where, as a
believer, I am most likely to stumble. I
fail to see the pit of my strength.
I read about
this Chinese proverb, “An unguarded strength is a double weakness.” Here’s a few biblical examples – people whose
perceived area of strength was actually the area in which they fell. Just think about these for a minute!
· * Abraham’s
great strength was obedience. Where
did he fail? Obedience (Gen.
12:13, 16:2)
· *Noah’s
great attribute was discipline. Where
did he fail? Discipline (Gen.
9:21).
· *Isaac’s
great asset was truth-telling. Where
did he fail? Truth-telling (Gen.
23:7).
· *Moses’
great strength was meekness. Where
did he fail? Meekness (Num.
20:10-12)
· *David’s
great character trait was integrity.
Where did he fail? Integrity
(2 Sam 11:3-27).
· * Elijah’s
great attribute was faith? Where
did he fall? Faith (1 Kings
19:3-13).
· * Uzziah’s
great strength was adherence to God’s Word. Where did he fall? Adherence to God’s Word (2 Chron.
26:16-21)
· * Peter’s
great asset was courage. Where did
he fall? Yep! Courage (Luke 22:34-62).
All
these cases from Scripture are clear. You
could re-read this entire post, or just open any news media outlet and see how people
in our culture have built their towers in pits.
I’ll
tell you what gets to me is reading, “Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what
you are talking about!” Just as he was
speaking the rooster crowed. The Lord
turned and looked straight at Peter. (60-61)
Oh, how many times have I betrayed the One I love, and He’s turned and looked
straight in my face!
Is
it when you’ve reached out to the best Christian self-help book or blog post to
help you overcome your weaknesses? Maybe
what we should be looking for is help in our natural strength tendencies.
·
The
inclination to be relational.
·
The
ability to multi-task.
·
The
innate desire to nurture.
·
Momma-bear
love for our children.
·
The
desire to be attractive to our husbands or potential husbands.
Yet
when we look at that list, it doesn’t take long to see how any one of those
strengths can become the pit of our destruction:
·
When
our ability to be “relational” invites intimacy where it does not belong.
·
When
we multi-tasks ourselves out of giving undivided attention to our spouse or
family members.
·
When
our desire to nurture becomes a people-pleasing monster.
·
When
Momma-bear raises adults who are incapable of taking care of themselves.
·
When
our desire to be outwardly attractive becomes bondage to beauty in the form of
obsession, eating disorders, and discontent.
I can’t help
but think of how often Jesus has looked directly at me when I’ve betrayed Him
and think about what someone may say is my strength and know that is where my
pit may be.
Oswald
Chambers (“My Utmost for His Highest”) helps us understand where the
undercurrent may be;
We are apt to say, “It is
not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I
would now turn back to the things of the world”
Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least
likely thing that is the real danger. It
is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things
begin to have an effect. They may not be
forceful and dominant, but they are there.
And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you.”
You have remained true to
God under great and intense trials – now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner
self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before
God. Unguarded strength is actually a
double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptations will be
effective in sapping strength. The Bible
characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.”
So ladies,
Never say Never. Beware, but do not be
afraid. Be guarded; stay alert. What do you think is your greatest strength,
and how might that be used to your detriment?
What would others say about you?
Ask someone today, and pray that you would not fall into temptation
(v.40)
