Open Heaven 29 June
MEMORISE: “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.” – (Mark 14:21)
BIBLE READING: Mark 14:17-21 (KJV)
17. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
18. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
19. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
20. And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
21. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
There are basically two sides of life – the right and the wrong. When we consider the role Judas Iscariot played in the crucifixion of Jesus, we cannot sympathize with him. This is because although someone had to betray the Saviour, it did not have to be Judas. As a matter of fact, Jesus had warned the disciples in John 6:70, saying:
…Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
Why was it Judas who betrayed Jesus? Judas Iscariot’s greed pushed him to sell Jesus out. John 12:4-6 says he was a thief, always stealing from the treasury. In Colossians 3:5, we are enjoined to mortify the parts of our bodies which push us to commit sin. We are also to run away from those sins like covetousness and greed that can easily get us entangled. Had Judas done this, perhaps he would not have fallen prey to the deceit of the devil. Cain was another person who led a negative life; he murdered his brother as a result of envy. Rather than finding out why God rejected his sacrifice, he jealously killed his godly brother. He never knew peace afterwards (Genesis 4:10-15). Reuben, the first son of Jacob also led a negative life of adultery to the point that he slept with his father’s wife (Genesis 49:3-4). His father cursed him, saying that he would not excel.
Beloved, it is better not to be born at all than to be born and go to hell. Jesus warned Judas Iscariot but it was to no avail. That was why what He got from the King of kings and the Lord of lords was ‘woe’. What a worthless and negative life! All the years he spent following the Master were wasted for thirty pieces of silver!
Before you crucify Judas Iscariot, look inward and see whether you are wearing the same shoe as he. If you are, repent today and begin to live on the right side of life as a child of the Most High.
ACTION POINT: Father, help me not to do anything that would hinder Your plan for me, in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 7-8
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – What Side Are You On? – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 29 June 2021
