We all have had betrayal in our life
Someone you trusted stabbed you in the back
Hopefully when you think of it, it’s a faint memory
because you have been through the forgiveness process:
Letting it go
Putting it in God’s hands
Letting Him take vengeance
Forgiving and trying to forget
A memory crept up this morning
Of someone that betrayed me many years ago
I wish the best for that person
Not any ill
If we consider the most famous betrayal in the Bible,
We look at Jesus’ example who forgave Judas and went on to be crucified
Judas realized what he had done and hanged himself
Betrayal was not considered the same when Peter denied the Lord thrice
Jesus knew that would happen as well
That was not Peter’s heart to betray the Lord
He wanted with all of his own strength to stand by Jesus
He didn’t quite understand he couldn’t do it in his own strength
He needed the Lord to help him
Peter learned that lesson as he was martyred for the Lord,
this time with the strength of the Holy Spirit instead of relying on himself
We are nobody special in our own right
We are failing mortals who strike out several times in our lives
As we consider those who have betrayed us
And think of how we would never want to betray the Lord,
Let us consider our concern for the End Times,
and whatever may be ahead
Let’s do our best to forget what is behind,
those failings and those who have failed us
and learn to draw from God’s strength
so that we can make it through whatever He has for us
and not consider ourselves better than them,
for without the strength of the Lord,
we could very well fail Him as well
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14