By His Grace, Indeed
That means He experienced all of the difficulties that we will face in life. Even Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest followers.
By His Grace, Indeed
Have you ever loved someone with all your heart, only to have them turn away from you? Or have you ever given someone your trust and then been betrayed?
Betrayal hurts. It’s painful because we don’t usually see it coming. It’s an unexpected slap in the face, a punch in the gut. Wes Fessler said, “There is no greater blessing than a close hand that lifts you from a fall; but there is no lower curse than a close hand that strikes you when you’re down.” One of the toughest things in life is learning how to trust again after you have been betrayed by someone.
Proverbs 27:6
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in all things. That means He experienced all of the difficulties that we will face in life. Even Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest followers.
But let’s be honest. Judas was not alone. The truth is that Jesus was betrayed by all of us. He came into this world bringing love and light to mankind, yet He was falsely accused, arrested, railroaded in a sham trial, and executed by a world that was threatened by Him.
Then, after His closest friends abandoned Him, He spoke words of forgiveness as He breathed His last during His execution. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Real love is continuing to hope after disappointment, believing after betrayal, and loving the very ones who hurt us. Jesus did all of those things because God is love, and that’s what real love does. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:7).
When I look hard at the example of Jesus, I realize just how far I am from what He expects me to be. By His grace, I am forgiven for my shortcomings. By His grace, I am getting closer to His example. By His grace, we all can learn to love that deeply.
By His grace, indeed.
