Devotional from 'Look Unto Me'

Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? (Luke 22:48)

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

My enemy's kisses are deceitful. Therefore I must be on guard when the world puts on its loving face, for whenever possible it will betray me just as it did my Master--with a kiss. Whenever someone is about to stab my faith in the back he typically pretends to have great reverence for it. I must beware of the slick hypocrisy that is the armor-bearer of heresy and apostasy. Knowing how the ungodly love to deceive I must be "as shrewd as snakes" (Matt. 10:16) in order to detect and thereby avoid the schemes of the Enemy.

May my soul graciously learn today from the "youth who lacked judgment" (Prov. 7:7) when tempted by the woman "with crafty intent" (v. 10). "She took hold of him and kissed him" (v. 13) and "with persuasive words ... led him astray. She seduced him with her smooth talk" (v. 21). May I never be seduced by the "smooth talk" of the world--may it have no effect on me whatsoever.

Holy Spirit, keep me--a poor frail son of man--from being betrayed "with a kiss"!

Yet what if I am guilty of the same cursed sin as Judas, "the one doomed to destruction" (John 17:12)? I have been "baptized into Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:3), am a member of His visible Church, and sit at His communion table, but are all these nothing but "kisses" on my lips? Am I truly sincere? If not, I am the lowest of traitors. Do I live as carelessly and worldly as unbelievers while professing to be a follower of Jesus? If so, I am exposing Christianity to ridicule and leading people to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called. If I live so inconsistently, surely I am a Judas and "it would be better for [me] if [I] had not been born" (Mark 14:21). Do I hope to stay free and clear in this matter?

Then, dear Lord, keep me pure. Make me sincere and true and protect me from every false action. Never allow me to betray my Savior. Dear Jesus, I do love You, and although I often grieve You, my heart's desire is to be faithful "to the point of death" (Matt 26:38). O God, may you keep me from being a smooth-talking hypocrite, simply professing Christ, but ultimately falling into "the fiery lake" (Rev. 19:20) because I betrayed my Master "with a kiss."

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

If we live the life of a hypocritical Christian, then in the world's eyes we are "crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace" (Heb.6:6). The things of the world should have no hold on us, for Paul said believers should "use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).

John contrasted Christians with the world by saying:

"The word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:14-15).

"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4). But Jesus said, "I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).

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