Psalm of the Day: Psalm 71:1-12
Wisdom of the Day: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:12-19
Let us observe in these verses that one whom our Lord chose to be an apostle, was a false disciple and a traitor. That man was Judas Iscariot.
We cannot for a moment doubt, that in choosing Judas Iscariot, our Lord Jesus knew well what He was doing. Like everything which our Lord did it was done advisedly, deliberately, and with deep wisdom. It conveyed lessons of high importance to the whole Church of Christ.
The choice of Judas teaches ministers humility. They are not to suppose that ordination necessarily conveys grace or that once ordained, they cannot err. On the contrary, they are to remember, that one ordained by Christ Himself was a wretched hypocrite! Let the minister who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.
The choice of Judas teaches the members of the Churches not to make idols of ministers. They are to esteem them highly in love for their work's sake, but they are not to bow down to them as infallible, and honor them with an unscriptural honor. They are to remember that ministers may be successors of Judas Iscariot as well as of Peter and Paul. The name of Judas should be a standing warning to "cease from man." Let no man glory in men (1 Corinthians 3:21).
Finally, our Lord's choice of Judas teaches the whole church that it must not expect to see a perfectly pure communion in the present state of things. The wheat and the tares; the good fish and the bad, will always be found side by side, until the Lord comes again. It is vain to look for perfection in visible churches. We shall never find it. A Judas was found even among the apostles. Converted and unconverted people will always be found mixed together in all congregations.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, please help me to be very sensitive to my own sin and be willing to inspect my own heart as I dedicate it to you.
Action Plan: What sins do I struggle with remind me of Judas? How does unconfessed sin compound and drive me away from God?
This devotional was taken from The Gospel of Luke by J.C. Ryle published in 1858
and adapted by Pastor Tim Lewis of New England Shores Baptist Church.
Comentários