Lent 2014: Judas Iscariot

John 13:21-30

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Not everyone who gets to know Jesus chooses to submit their lives to Him. Judas spent just as much time with Jesus as most of the other apostles. He heard all of Christ's famous sermons, he saw the many healings, he witnessed the miracles. He was chosen to be one of the twelve when Jesus could have chosen so many others. His decision to betray the Lord was certainly not because He was a poor witness. This is the reality of free choice: some will choose well but others will choose to reject the Lord.
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I can do everything right in raising my kids and they can still choose to not follow Christ. I can be the "perfect" witness to by friends, neighbors, and co-workers and they can still choose to decline the offer of salvation. The decision to follow the Lord or not is ultimately something I can only choose for myself for my own eternity.
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Why would I choose for any path other than that of following Christ? Obviously many do, whether for money or power or other allures of this world or because the path of a Christian can be perceived as too difficult. Yet what did Judas gain? A few coins he took no pleasure in? I would far rather endure the temporary sufferings of this world as a wholehearted follower of the Lord for the eternal joy of Heaven. And although I cannot make the final decision for them, this reality of the temporary benefits of the world vs. the lasting satisfaction of choosing for Christ is what I hope and strive to share with all those that I would like to see join me one day in eternity.