“I have no need”

And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. (Luke 22:23)

Judas wanted to walk with Jesus but he also secretly sought things of the flesh. The food that Jesus offered for his spirit was lost because of the secret feeding of the flesh. What if Judas had admitted his weakness to Jesus? Wouldn’t he have found love, forgiveness and freedom? Did Judas gain anything by trying to keep it secret? Jesus certainly knew. And the other disciples at least suspected. Only Judas was fooled and ended life as the ultimate fool. Are we fooling ourselves?

Parents soon learn that they can not change their children’s wrong desires. They can teach, hinder or even bribe and still the desire will go on. This can show up in something as simple as finger sucking, as serious as habitual lying or as dangerous as stubborn rebellion. But, if the child will admit his problem then genuine change will begin to occur. It is absolutely wonderful when a child demonstrates maturity by admitting a problem or weakness.

Jesus does not overwhelm our will but waits for us to yield it to Him by sincerely admitting our weakness and need. Sometimes this means that we need to admit our weakness to someone else, to our family or even publicly. But, if we start by seeking God’s forgiveness and grace, He will give us courage to go wherever He leads us with our message of need, weakness and grace. In the end, it is our personal choice whether we will be needy seekers of grace or self-deceived, “I have no need”, betrayers.

Project:

* Let’s ask ourselves, “What’s my biggest struggle?”
* Let’s sincerely admit it to Jesus.
* Let’s ask Him who to admit it to as a need or a testimony.