What was your biggest betrayal? I don’t want to shame you at all, but those are moments we never forget. We carry that forever. We don’t have to carry the shame (and if you are still carrying shame, please reach out to us), but we can’t just forget the time we betrayed someone. Maybe you betrayed a friend’s confidence and hurt them deeply. Maybe you broke your marriage vows. Maybe you weren’t there for a parent when you should have been. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The list could go on and on, but somewhere in there, you know what your betrayal looked like, felt like, sounded like.
I can never forget my biggest betrayal. I broke the bonds with this precious, precious person and our relationship was never the same. Initially it was worse…so much worse. But the Lord did an amazing miracle in our relationship and now it’s better than it was before the betrayal. What we’ve built together since then is deeper, wider, more beautiful than before. It’s still a work in progress and it’s hard work at times, but we are doing it together and there’s peace and forgiveness there now.
But it all started with a recommitment to them and our relationship, a new promise, and a greater resolve to fulfill that promise everyday.
There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t remember how I hurt this person, but now there’s no shame carried in that memory any longer. All that’s left is a beautiful reminder of what God saved me from, how he pulled me out of that pit, and the work he’s done in my life since that time. Instead of bitter tears of regret, I am filled with tears of joy and gratitude. I’m so thankful for the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness of this precious person.
I never fully understood the weight of God’s grace until this betrayal, forgiveness, and restoration. Grace so heavy I can hardly bear the weight of it.
Isn’t this such a picture of what it looks like to be restored back into a right relationship with God? We were in the garden and suddenly we found ourselves at the crossroads…remain faithful to our relationship with God or betray him for a fleeting pleasure, for something that tasted good, but would never last. We’d betray him for a promise of something better that would create a hell on earth.
But then GOD! He made a way through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of that betrayal, and restored us to God our Father as if the betrayal never happened.
Do you remember what He saved you from?
Many of us have been saved from our betrayal and been made right with God, but we don’t even recognize the small betrayals that we commit against God all the time.
I don’t have time to read scripture today. I’ll get to it tomorrow.
I’m so tired. I think we’ll stay home from church today. It’s been such a busy week and I can worship God here at home. c anyway.
I do so much for other people during the week, I just want to go to church and worship, listen to the sermon, and go home. I don’t want to sign up to work in the nursery or help with communion.
We betray our relationship with God. I’m not here to condemn, I’ve been guilty of some of these (or others) before too. I’m just here to call attention to areas in our lives that we haven’t fully COMMITTED to God.
Our Attention
How can we say we love God so much if we hardly take time to listen to what He has to say in His precious Word? Do we love what God can do for us? Or do we love Him for who He is?
Our Affection
Scripture is pretty clear we shouldn’t forsake meeting together. Do we love our sleep more than His Bride? Do we love our comfort more than His Church? Do we love what we’ve built with our family more than what God is building with HIS family?
Our Actions
When did we let the lie slip into our heads that we don’t have to serve the Church - God’s family - because we do all kinds of stuff outside of the Church during the week? God gave all of us a role to play in HIS body - HIS Church - and He says that when we don’t play that role, we hurt His Church. We hurt the Lord.
I think it’s time we recommit ourselves to our relationship with God. It’s time to own up to our quiet, small, seemingly insignificant betrayals.
Do you remember what He saved you from?
It’s time to RECOMMIT to His Word. If you want to hear the Lord speak to you, you are guaranteed to hear the Lord through what He’s already spoken to you in scripture. Open your Bible today and recommit to meeting him everyday in those living and active Words.
It’s time to RECOMMIT to His Church. If you want to feel the move of God in your life, if you want to experience more of His presence in a deeper way, if you want to help change the lives of people around you, you’ve got to recommit to His Body. You’ve got a role to play and the Church needs you. We hurt when you don’t show up. We are less effective when you aren’t here. And I don’t just mean physically in the building, but working alongside other believers in Kingdom Building ministry inside the Bride. Ask how you can serve this week and recommit to His Church.
It’s time to RECOMMIT our time and attention. Do you have your head up? Are you looking for opportunities to share the gospel, to minister to someone hurting, or to help someone in need? Or does it have to slap you in the face for you to take notice? Do you start your day asking God, “What do you want me to do today, Lord?” Or do you start you day, like so many of us, rolling out of bed cranky and immediately busy busy busy? It’s time to pay attention to what God is doing around us and what He wants to do through us.
How are you spending your time? Are you maxing out your time limit on social media everyday? Are you binging your favorite TV Shows every night? Are you going from school to soccer practice to grocery store to dinner to bedtime routine without spending much time in prayer or the Word? Lift your head and turn your heart toward him today and recommit your time and attention to the Lord.
How have we betrayed God with our time, our money, our affections? It may sound small to us, but that is just because we’ve rationalized things for so long and our culture has conditioned us to believe Christianity is a part of our lives when really…it IS our life.
Let us return to our first love. Let us recommit to loving his letter. Let us return to the intention and purpose of the relationship. Oneness. Wholeness. Righteousness. Holiness.
Our relationship with God doesn't just end at Salvation through Jesus... that's only the beginning. There's so much MORE for us through working out our salvation with fear and trembling. I don't think that means being scared and the trembling is from that. I think the fear is a reverence for God in all His glory and the trembling is because we get to LIVE in His glory as we work out our salvation! How beautiful and what an amazing gift we've been given! There is MORE.
Do you remember what He saved you from?
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