GOD LEADS US ALONG

Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?  (Psalm 56:13b)

“God leads His dear children along.”  That’s what the old hymn says—that message thoroughly attested by Scripture and affirmed by our experience.  The way He leads us, however, may be at times perplexing.  The road of life is filled with many twists and turns; we cannot see but a portion of the road before us, so we must trust God who knows the destination where He intends to bring us.  That’s what David discovered on his journey of faith.  It is the testimony of Psalm 56.

Our path does not take us through a playground, but a battleground (v.1-4)!  So long as we are in this world, we will find ourselves in a fight.  Our environment is hostile to faith.  David—a man of war—would say, “Amen!”  The introduction to the Psalm tells us it was written, “When the Philistines Captured Him in Gath.”  Gath was the hometown of the giant Goliath whom David had slain.  David was running for his life from King Saul.  In a moment of panic, he fled into Philistine territory, and ended up in a place where the people would delight to kill him—out of the frying pan and into the fire!  Yet, even so, God had a purpose for David’s life.  We may wish for the: “shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet…Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet…Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright…” and yet find ourselves, “sometimes in the valley in darkest of night that God leads His dear children along.”

We may survive the frontal assault and succumb to the surprise attack (v.5-7).  There were those who would not dare to attack David to his face, but would stab him in the back—distorting his words, organizing opposition from the malcontents, and setting snares to trap him.  This broke his heart and drove him to the One he could trust, as David cast himself on the promises of God (v.8-11).  The hymn writer put it this way:

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Some through the water, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

God knows every step we take through dark seasons.  He sees every tear we shed as we walk through deep sorrows.  According to David, God stores the tears in His bottle and records them in His book!  He is mindful of our tears and trials.  He does not exempt us from traveling the trail of tears, but He promises grace that is sufficient for the journey now and that our destiny will end in glory.

David expressed confidence that the Lord would establish His feet in the right path and on solid ground (v.12-13).  He always had; He always would. 

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.”

The trip may bring many changing conditions in the terrain—sudden storms can break upon us—but one condition never alters—we get there, “all through the blood.”  The One who died for us, while never desert us.  He will deliver us!

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANS

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  ‎ (Mark 14:10)

Have you ever met someone named Judas? 

Probably not.  Many of the characters featured in the Bible are used in naming children—John, Mary, David, Elizabeth, and so forth—but, not Judas.  That name will live in infamy.  It is synonymous with treachery—sealed with a kiss!

The motives of this traitor are not stated emphatically, yet, may be deduced from the text.  Judas’ reaction to the actions of Jesus was one of misunderstanding and a growing dissatisfaction.  He had apparently followed Jesus due to the warped idea of Messiah so many of his generation possessed—expecting the overthrow of Rome and the glory days of Solomon restored.  He saw the Kingdom of God in political rather than spiritual terms.  The blessings Judas desired were not for eternity, but to experience on earth.  Because of this Judas was associated with Christ, but never one with Christ.  He was unconverted—not a believer, but a make-believer.

This thinking reached critical mass one day, when Mary is commended by Jesus for pouring expensive perfumed oil on Jesus—something Judas considered a “waste.”  It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  Judas decided to cut his losses and get out of his three years of dashed dreams by betraying Jesus to the religious leaders who hated Him.  Judas sold his soul to the devil for thirty pieces of silver.

This is surely one of the saddest stories in Scripture.  Judas had such an opportunity.  Think of the teaching he heard, the miracles he saw, and the love he received, yet the shine of silver captivated his heart more than the splendor of the Savior.  Heaven slipped from his grasp and he slunk into the shadows—on to everlasting darkness.  He felt remorse for what he did and the tortured wretch ended his life—temporal sorrow soon swallowed up in eternal grief.  Will any weep, wail, and gnash their teeth more than that man?  Jesus said that it would have been better for him not to have been born.

I have no intent to disturb your faith if it is real.  Your faith in Christ may be small, but if it is genuine it is enough.  We are not saved because of the amount of our faith, but the object of it—Christ alone saves us!  My desire is that if you examine your faith and find it superficial that you become disturbed greatly!  To be so close to being a follower of Christ and yet fail of salvation is most tragic.  The story of Judas is to show us the reality of counterfeit Christianity.  We may be identified with the church, yet not in Christ.  We can be near the Kingdom of Heaven and still outside it.  Judas is in hell and we do not want to join him there!

Give yourself unreservedly to Christ.  Commit your all to Him.  It will be His commitment to you that insures your safe arrival home. 

Judas wanted no part of the cross.  Only through that cross, however, can we be saved.  Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand!