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by Alistair Begg
But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying
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 sleek-faced hypocrisy, which is
assistant to heresy and infidelity. Knowing how easily the unrighteous are
deceived, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the designs of the
enemy. The young man, devoid of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the
strange woman: May my soul be so graciously instructed today that the seductive
tones 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 dreadful 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 of 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 am exposing my faith to ridicule and leading men to
speak evil of the very name Christian.
Surely if I act inconsistently, I am a Judas, and it were better for me if I had
never been born. Dare I hope that I am innocent in this matter? Then, O Lord,
keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true. Preserve me from every false way.
Never let me betray my Savior. I do love You, Lord Jesus, and though I often
grieve You, I still desire to remain faithful even unto death. O God, forbid
that I should be a high-sounding professor and then fall at last into the lake
of fire because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.
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Source: Truth For Life Daily Devotional by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. Crossway Books
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