I am Judas...

"Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!" Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself." Matthew 27:3-5 It is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the cost of a common slave. I find it ironic that only shortly before that, Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples--something that was commonly done by a servant/slave. Once he realized that he was wrong, he went back to the Chief Priest to return the money. However, the damage was already done. Jesus had been sentenced to die by crucifixion. Judas threw the money down & ran away to hang himself. He died a horrible and lonely death. This man who had lived & walked with Jesus in the flesh for over 3 years was so overcome by his greed that he betrayed the Son of GOD. Most people rightly have a low opinion of Judas, but I fear they fail to realize how much we as humans have in common with him. I know that I allow worldly things to interfere with my relationship with Jesus. Matthew 6:33-34 tell us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Sadly, many of us--myself included--miss the mark on this. Worry seems to come naturally to us. Worry, however, shows a terrible lack of faith. Additionally, we let ourselves be weighed down by possessions, relationships, unnecessary debt, etc., things that drive a wedge between ourselves & the Lord. When we chase after material things, are we not betraying Jesus for those things? Do they not represent our own "thirty pieces of silver" in a way? When I allow those worldly influences to become idols in my life, I am effectively betraying Jesus all over again. He loved me enough to leave the splendor of Heaven, take on human flesh and die on a cruel Roman cross--all for me, all for you, all for humankind as a whole. When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness--he used position, possessions and food as bait. Jesus withstood those temptations using the Word of GOD as His weapon. When the devil tries to use those same tactics on us, we should also stand on the promises of GOD and His Word. The things this world has to offer us amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things. They are merely temporary. We can't take any of those things with us when we leave this world. What we should be doing is cultivating our relationship with GOD, reading His Word, ministering to His people & evangelizing the lost. Those are the things that will have eternal value and will allow us to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25:23) Isn't that what we all desire? I know I do--I want to live a life that honors GOD so I'll be welcomed into Heaven when my time on earth is done. I can't do that if I value the things of the world more than I do my faith. If I do that, I am Judas... Something to ponder. Blessings! Tony