Morning, March 25 Go To Evening Reading
“Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?”
—Luke 22:48
“The kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Let me be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face, for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master with a kiss. Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it. Let me beware of the sleek-faced hypocrisy which is the armor-bearer to heresy and infidelity. Knowing the deceivableness of unrighteousness, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the enemy's designs. The young man, void of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: may my soul be so graciously instructed all this day that “the much fair speech” of the world may have no effect upon me. Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor frail son of man, be betrayed with a kiss!
But what if I should be guilty of the same accursed sin as Judas, that son of perdition? I have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a member of his visible Church; I sit at the communion table: all these are so many kisses on my lips. Am I sincere in them? If not, I am a base traitor. Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do and yet make a profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then, I must expose religion to ridicule and lead men to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called. Indeed, if I act thus inconsistently, I am a Judas, and it would be better for me if I had never been born. Dare I be clear on this matter? Then, O Lord, keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and genuine. Preserve me in every false way. Never let me betray my Saviour. I do love thee, Jesus, and though I often grieve thee, I would desire to abide faithful even unto death. O God forbid that I should be a high-soaring professor and then fall at last into the lake of fire because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.
Go To Morning Reading Evening, March 25
“The Son of man.”
—John 3:13
How constantly our Master used the title, the “Son of man!” If he had chosen, he might always have spoken of himself as the Son of God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, but behold the lowliness of Jesus! He prefers to call himself the Son of man. Let us learn a lesson of humility from our Saviour; let us never court great titles nor proud degrees. There is here, however, a far sweeter thought. Jesus loved manhood so much that he delighted to honor it; and since it is a high honor, and indeed, the most extraordinary dignity of manhood, that Jesus is the Son of man, he is wont to display this name, that he may as it hung royal stars upon the breast of manhood, and show forth the love of God to Abraham’s seed. Son of man—whenever he said that word, he shed a halo round the head of Adam’s children. Yet there is perhaps a more precious thought still. Jesus Christ called himself the Son of man to express his oneness and sympathy with his people. He thus reminds us that he is the one whom we may approach without fear. As a man, we may take him all our griefs and troubles, for he knows them by experience; in that he hath suffered as the “Son of man,” he can succor and comfort us. All hail, thou blessed Jesus! Since thou art evermore using the sweet name which acknowledges that thou art a brother and a near kinsman, it is a dear token of thy grace, humility, and love to us.
“Oh, see how Jesus trusts himself
Unto our childish love,
As though by his free ways with us
Our earnestness to prove!
His sacred name is a common word
On earth, he loves to hear;
There is no majesty in him
Which love may not come near.”
C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).
March 25: Thoughtless Iconoclasm
Numbers 29:1–40; 1 Corinthians 11:17–12:11; Psalm 24:1–10
When we learn something new about life and faith, it’s tempting to use our knowledge and freedom to tear down religious constructs and artifices—exposing truth in a way that’s not helpful or edifying. If we’re honest, pushing boundaries and living edgy and unfettered gives us a rush.
Paul warns the Corinthian Christians against this attitude: “All things are permitted, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted, but not all things build up” (1 Cor 10:23). Paul sets up a contrast, juxtaposing the clauses to set apart what should really be the focus of the Corinthians. Paul stresses that instead of flaunting freedom, we should be focused on what is helpful and constructive for the community.
Seeking the good of the other person should be our first reflex. And it’s not simply limited to the Christian community. Paul states: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. Give no offense both to Jews and to Greeks and to the church of God” (1 Cor 10:31–32). This is a tall order in the internet age; when we don’t see someone face to face, it’s much easier to tear them down.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t challenge ideas when appropriate. However, it does mean we should carefully consider our audience and act in a way that will best communicate the gospel's message. Whatever the case, we should “please all people in all things, not seeking [our] own benefit, but the benefit of man, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:33).
How are you seeking the good of those around you?
Rebecca Van Noord
John D. Barry and Rebecca Kruyswijk, Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).
March 25th
The most delicate mission on earth
The friend of the Bridegroom. John 3:29.
Goodness and purity should never attract attention to themselves; they should simply be magnets to draw to Jesus Christ. Suppose my holiness is not drawing towards Him. In that case, it is not the holiness of the correct order but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection and lead souls away into side eddies. A beautiful saint may be a hindrance if he does not present Jesus Christ but only what Christ has done for him; he will leave the impression—‘What a fine character that man is!’—that is not being a true friend of the Bridegroom; I am increasing all the time, He is not.
To maintain this friendship and loyalty to the Bridegroom, we must be more careful of our moral and vital relationship with Him than any other thing, even of obedience. Sometimes, there is nothing to obey; the only thing to do is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, to see that nothing interferes with that. Only occasionally do we have to obey. When a crisis arises, we have to find out what God’s will is, but the more significant part of life is not conscious obedience but the maintenance of this relationship—the friend of the Bridegroom. Christian work may be a means of evading the soul’s concentration on Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, we become amateur providences and may work against Him while using His weapons.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year (Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering, 1986).
March 25
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ
Gal. 6:2
By lifting the burdens of others, we lose our own.
Selected
Samuel G. Hardman and Dwight Lyman Moody, Thoughts for the Quiet Hour (Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997).
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