Choose Well: The Heart of Mary or Judas 5-17-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart. … “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (the one who was about to betray Him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of My burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me’ ” (John 12:3-8). Your Word says Judas was “one of (Your) disciples.” Can we be disciples of Christ, those who follow the Master to learn Your ways and grow in Your nature, yet have such weeds of wickedness and seeds of betrayal sown into the same heart? (Matthew 13:24-25) Can we come to a place of such double-mindedness to follow You one day and betray You the next? Can we say the right words with all the self-righteousness we can muster and all the religious piety we can project, while having all the wrong motives with all the wrong heart? Judas was called to walk with God, but the longer he continued in the journey, the more his true heart revealed. Some would say Judas was destined for destruction from the beginning (John 17:12). They would say he was an object of wrath, prepared and made by God for destruction to make known God’s glory for the objects of His mercy (Romans 9:22-24). But I don’t believe that’s the whole counsel of God for how it works. I believe Your Word when You say You are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance in the knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9). I believe Your Word when You say that whoever believes in You will not perish, but will have everlasting life (John 3:16). Though You see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, though You see every choice we will ever make by the grace You give us, the choices are ours to make. You set before each of us life or death, blessing or curse, for each of us to choose whom we will serve and how we shall live (Deuteronomy 30:19). And with every choice we make, our hearts become more yielded in obedience or more hardened in rebellion. Though You know our destiny, it’s our choices we make in the freedom of You give that determine it. You create us and call us to be fulfilled in Your destiny for us, but You also warn us that the consequences of our choices are real. True obedience requires the freedom to choose to obey or not; true worship requires the freedom to choose to worship or not; and true love requires the freedom to choose to love or not. Judas was called to be a son of God, one of Your disciples (Matthew 10:1). But his persistence in his choices of corruption and betrayal revealed his heart to be a “son of perdition” rather than a son of God (John 17:12, NKJV). He could have chosen life, but he chose death; he could have chosen the blessing, but he chose the curse; and with every choice, the path of his destiny was determined. Finally, even though Judas was one of Your disciples, Satan himself entered into him through the door of his heart consistently opened to deception and betrayal (Luke 22:3). Mary chose well, but Judas did not. Mary knew the needs of the poor and the call to sacrifice in discipleship. But above all, she consistently offered You the best she had to give, the sacrifice of her willing heart opened to You and poured out before You. In the power of Your grace, Mary persistently chose “the better part, which will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:42). She chose life and blessing in every moment she had to spend with You, revealing the truth of the love of God sown deeply within her heart. Lord, in the power of Your grace, help me cultivate the heart of Mary, not the heart of Judas. Help me choose well, consistently and persistently. May the Spirit of God enter my heart every day, not the spirit of perdition. As You set before me each day life or death, blessing or curse, help me choose the better part, as You seal my destiny into Your hands and my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this month! Friday Night May 21 at 7 pm our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry and a word for Kentucky with us, A Leap of Faith. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in the His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!