{"id":169,"date":"2018-05-15T19:39:46","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T19:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/?p=169"},"modified":"2019-08-03T14:22:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-03T14:22:51","slug":"betrayal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/2018\/05\/15\/betrayal\/","title":{"rendered":"Betrayal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Surely we have all felt\nbetrayed at one point in life. A wise man told me once something like,\n\u201cTechnically, you cannot offend me. You can do things that I am offended by,\nbut in the end, the offense is my choice.  I can choose whether or not to\nbe offended by your actions.\u201d  I believe that our God in His infinite\nmercy and forgiveness does not usually take offense at our actions. The things\nwe do against Him are odious and ofttimes angering to Him, but in His love, He\nforgives. (thankfully)Love\nis a barrier to offense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But my title here is\n\u201cbetrayal,\u201d not \u201coffense.\u201d  Is \u2018being betrayed\u2019 a choice we make just as\nI\u2019ve proposed that \u2018being offended\u2019 is?  In both situations, the resultant\nfeelings are often similar \u2013 anger, confusion, hurt, vengefulness, frustration,\nsadness\u2026 But, I don\u2019t think that feeling betrayed is very often a choice we\nmake.  Offensiveness is subjective, and I propose that betrayal is\nobjective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Betrayal results from a deliberate action, meaning the action that caused the betrayal was something that was consciously decided on.  Now, the result of betrayal may not have been considered when deciding to do the action \u2013 the betrayer may not have realized what the entire result of the action would be.  I think this is generally the case, in fact.  Most people are not evil and conniving to such extent that theywant to<\/strong> betray someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undoubtedly, you are thinking\nof or had thought of Judas Iscariot.  This may be the most famous example\nof betrayal in the history of the world.  From our \u201carmchair quarterback\u201d\nperspective, we are hard pressed to understand what he was thinking. Well,\nclearly, he wasn\u2019t. Providence aside, the realization of the enormity of what\nhe had done came as a surprise to him after the fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surely, as children of God, we\nshould not be a perpetrator of betrayal.  Yet, sometimes our actions\nunintentionally result in betrayal.  A little bit of forethought,\nconsideration, and prayer before acting can save a lot of heartache and regret\nlater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prudent see danger and hide, but the na\u00efve keep going and pay the penalty. (Pro 27:12)<\/em> Are you prudent enough to see the danger in what you are about to do and prevent a betrayal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. (Mat 25:4)<\/em> Are you wise enough to foresee the outcome of your actions and accommodate the situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My language\nhere has mostly come from the perspective ofour walk<\/strong> and the prospect of\nbetraying afellow\nhuman<\/strong>.\nThis is important, of course, as we are to love our neighbor as ourselves,\netc., etc\u2026 But there is a bigger danger to avoid.  I mentioned the most\nfamous example of betrayal, but I will argue that there is a more important andmore\ndevastating example of betrayal<\/strong> that we need to consider. This example is\nongoing and may implicate us today\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly!<\/em>They have abandoned the LORD<\/em><\/strong>, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. (Isa 1:2-4)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, this is\nwhat Isaiah wrote referring to ancient Judah, but it is a warning to us today,\nfor sure, not to follow that example.  There are so many accounts of God\nexpressing His disappointment, sadness, anger, frustration, and vengefulness\nover His people betraying Him. I am grateful that His lovingkindness is\neverlasting and His forgiveness is perfect and that His love for us is\ninfinite.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why have you chosen to walk with Him? Ask yourself that and meditate on it. I experience at times the lie that seems so true at the time: \u201cLife would be easier if I didn\u2019t follow Him. I would be freer if I didn\u2019t have to follow His commands.\u201d I am ashamed to admit this to you, but I occasionally have those thoughts.  That is an example of me betraying our Creator.  I don\u2019t need to fashion a calf out of gold and bow down to it. I don\u2019t need to celebrate Christmas and Easter. I don\u2019t need to work on the Sabbath.  I don\u2019t need to weep for Tammuz, or worship the sun. All I need to do to betray my God is to believe in those lies, even to merelyquestion His promises<\/strong>. That is betrayal \u2013 an act that can break God\u2019s heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another easy way for me to betray God is to live a lie myself \u2013 and I do at times\u2026 (Have I mentioned that I am grateful that His lovingkindness is everlasting and His forgiveness is perfect and that His love for us is infinite?) When I act in order toseek the praise of men rather than His<\/strong> praise, I am betraying Him. In retrospect, it is a pretty stupid thing to do. God sees the heart and knows the truth, I know that. God is the judge, not man, I know that.  But for some reason, sometimes I feel it is so important to adjust my actions so that my fellow man does not see my shortcomings\u2026 possibly all under the guise of not \u201ccausing a brother to stumble\u2026\u201d  Romans 14 says that I should not DO anything that causes another to stumble.  It does not say that I should \u201cspin a story so that another doesn\u2019t know what I am doing\u2026\u201d A generic example would be to cover up a sin with my own story so that another won\u2019t know of it.  But, not only am Inot<\/strong> hiding it from God, Hetells us<\/strong> to confess our sins to one another.  \u201cTherefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.\u201d (James 5:16)<\/em> So thatI may be healed<\/strong>\u2026 But I choose to hide it from him for what? ForPride<\/strong> \u2013 another sin\u2026 yikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is\nIsaiah again, later in the same chapter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land\u2026\u201d (Isa 1:16-19)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have\nempathy toward God? Can you think on, remember, and feel what a harsh betrayal\nis like in your heart? Can you imagine your own creation that you love more\nthan anything simply flipping you off, turning its nose up at you, turning its\nback on you and walking away?  Maybe you have, in the past, conducted the\nthought experiment of imagining what it would be like to be beaten and\nridiculed and spit on and stripped naked and insulted and then nailed to a\ncross\u2026 I have, and it is sobering.  What about imagining the ultimate\nbetrayal that God has gone through, watching His beloved turn on Him. If you do\nit fully and properly, with humility and compassion, you will begin to realize\nthat what you have is not deserved and that God\u2019s love is so much more immense\nthan we mortals can perceive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is an\nawesome thing to realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace to\nyou, glory to God,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Nate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

www.paraklesis.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Surely we have all felt betrayed at one point in life. A wise man told me once something like, \u201cTechnically, you cannot offend me. You can do things that I am offended by, but in the end, the offense is my choice.  I can choose whether or not to be offended by your actions.\u201d  I … Continue reading “Betrayal”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paraklesis.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}