Guest Writer: Shirley Cantrell, Elder
Scripture: Mark 14:10-11
Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to give Jesus up to them. When they heard it, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he started looking for an opportunity to turn him in.
Thought for the Day: As I read this passage, I wondered what on earth led Judas to go to the chief priests to betray this Jesus he had been walking with all this time. Was it greed – did he want the money? Or was it anger – because his Lord had not rebuked the woman who poured the expensive oil over his head? Or was he disillusioned — because he thought that Jesus would be the conqueror over the rulers and he would be there to reap the benefits of glory and wealth? Or — was he simply overcome with the spirit of the Devil who placed these thoughts in his head?
Perhaps the behavior of this Judas Iscariot has a lesson for me – keep my thoughts and my heart filled with Jesus and the Holy Spirit at all times. It brings to my mind that the lesson for me in the commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul” is this: If my heart, mind, and soul are filled with the love of the Lord, there is no room for Satan to move in.
Clearly, I have choices to make every day. I could just say “the Devil made me do it” to excuse my behavior and go on about my business if I wanted to. But would that just allow the Devil to enter into my heart more and more? (I don’t recall using that particular statement but there were many times that I did say “get thee behind me Satan” when I had to pass that big bowl of M&M’s sitting in the reception lobby at the office where I worked.)
So—every day, and every hour, and every minute, and every second, there are temptations and I need to choose to love God and to love my neighbor with all my heart, mind, and soul, filling my heart, mind, and soul with the love that Jesus has for me to the point where it spills out into the world around me.
Prayer: Lord, help me fill my heart, mind, and soul with your everlasting, unconditional love so that I can extend that same love to everyone around me. Amen.
