2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The butterfly is truly a "new creation" that comes out of a cocoon (a tomb of sorts) after a period of time. What once was a scrawny, worm-like creature crawling on the ground is now a colorful, beautiful, glorious creation that can fly to great heights.

What a wonderful picture of what happened through the resurrection of Christ! We who were once lowly, sinful creatures are made new. We are filled with Christ's life, soaring in service for him in this life and, on the Last Day, flying to be with him in heaven.

This is the wonderful news of Easter. Because Christ went through this transformation from death on the cross, to three days in the tomb, to resurrection life, we, too, will rise from death and the grave to a glorious eternal life. Every day is now an Easter Day, a day to celebrate that we are now God's "butterflies," flitting from place to place to spread the good news that Jesus is alive, and because he lives, we will live with him forever.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 5:16...let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The moon emits no light of its own. Instead, it reflects light from the sun. When the earth;s orbit brings it between the sun and the moon, the moon "disappears." It's still there, but as the Earth blocks the sun's rays, our lunar neighbor has nothing to reflect, and the world grows darker.

The same is true of believers. When we bask in the light of God's presence through consecrated living, Bible reading, and prayer, we reflect his light to others.

Any attempt to "shine" on our own is futile. We can't summon up what we don't have. God alone is our source of spiritual light. When we position ourselves before him, he provides enough light not only to guide our paths, but to light the way for others.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

 "The names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt. 10:2-4). 

In God's hands you can be a precious and effective instrument. 

The story is told of a great concert violinist who wanted to prove a point, so he rented a music hall and announced that he would play a concert on a $20,000 violin. On concert night the music hall was filled to capacity with music lovers anxious to hear such an expensive instrument played. The violinist stepped onto the stage, gave an exquisite performance, and received a thunderous standing ovation. When the applause subsided, he suddenly threw the violin to the ground, stomped it to pieces, and walked off the stage. The audience gasped then sat in stunned silence. 

 Within seconds the stage manager approached the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, to put you at ease, the violin that was just destroyed was a $20 violin. The master will now return to play the remainder of his concert on the $20,000 instrument." At the conclusion of his concert he received another standing ovation. Few people could tell the difference between the two violins. His point was obvious: it isn't the violin that makes the music, it is the violinist. 

The disciples were like $20 violins that Jesus transformed into priceless instruments for His glory. I trust that you have been encouraged to see how God used them despite their weakness, and I pray that you have been challenged by their strengths. You may not be dynamic like Peter or zealous like James and Simon, but you can be faithful like Andrew and courageous like Thaddaeus. Remember, God will take the raw material of your life and will expose you to the experiences and teachings that will shape you into the servant He wants you to be. 

 Trust Him to complete what He has begun in you, and commit each day to the goal of becoming a more qualified and effective disciple.  
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Judas is history's greatest human tragedy. He had opportunities and privileges known only to the other disciples, but he turned from them to pursue a course of destruction. Yet even from his foolishness we can learn some important lessons. 

Judas, for example, is the world's greatest example of lost opportunity. He ministered for three years with Jesus Himself but was content merely to associate with Him, never submitting to Him in saving faith. Millions of others have followed his example by hearing the gospel and associating with Christians, yet rejecting Christ. Tragically, like Judas, once death comes, they too are damned for all eternity. 

Judas is also the world's greatest example of wasted privileges. He could have had the riches of an eternal inheritance but instead chose thirty pieces of silver. In that respect he is also the greatest illustration of the destructiveness and damnation greed can bring. He did an unthinkable thing, and yet he has many contemporary counterparts in those who place wealth and pleasure above godliness. 

On the positive side, Judas is the world's greatest illustration of the forbearing, patient love of God. Knowing what Judas would do, Jesus tolerated him for three years. Beyond that, He constantly reached out to him and even called him "friend" after his kiss of betrayal (Matt 26:50). 

If you've ever been betrayed by a friend, you know the pain it can bring. But the Lord's pain was compounded many times over because He knew ahead of time that He would be betrayed and because the consequences were so serious. Yet He endured the pain, because He loved Judas and knew that His own betrayal was a necessary part of the redemptive plan. 

The sins that destroyed Judas are common sins that you must avoid at all costs! Use every opportunity and privilege God gives you, and never take advantage of His patience. 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt 10:4). 

Hypocrisy is a spiritual cancer that can devastate lives and destroy ministries. 

On a recent trip to New Zealand David learned that sheepherders there use specially trained, castrated male sheep to lead other sheep from holding areas into the slaughtering room. Those male sheep are appropriately called “Judas sheep." That illustrates the commonness with which we associate Judas with deception and death. Pretending to be a friend of Jesus, Judas betrayed him with a kiss and became for all time and eternity the epitome of hypocrisy. 

Several characteristics of spiritual hypocrisy are clearly evident in Judas’ life. First, hypocritical people often seem genuinely interested in a noble cause. Judas probably didn’t want the Romans to rule over Israel, and he saw in Christ an opportunity to do something about it. He probably had the common misconception that Jesus was immediately going to establish His earthly Kingdom and put down Roman oppression. 

Second, hypocritical people demonstrate an outward allegiance to Christ. Many of those who followed Jesus in the early stages of His ministry deserted Him along the way (John 6:66). Not Judas. He stayed to the end. 

Third, hypocritical people can appear to be holy. When Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, none of them suspected Judas. Even after Jesus identified Judas as His betrayer, the other disciples still didn’t understand (John 13:27-29). Judas must have put on a very convincing act! 

Fourth, hypocritical people are self-centered. Judas didn’t love Christ; he loved himself and joined the disciples to gain personal prosperity. 

Finally, hypocritical people are deceivers. Judas was a pawn of Satan, whom Jesus described as "a liar, and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Is it any wonder that his whole life was one deception after another? 

Judas was an unbeliever, but hypocrisy can also thrive in believers if its telltale signs are ignored. Guard your motives carefully, walk in the Spirit each day, and immediately confess even the slightest hint of hypocrisy.   
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

God works all things together for His purposes. 

At one time the little town of Kerioth was a relatively obscure Judean town, but all that changed when it produced the most hated man who ever lived--Judas Iscariot. 

The first mention of Judas is here in Matthew's list of disciples. We have no record of his call, but we know Jesus did call him along with the others, and even gave him authority to minister in miraculous ways (Matt 10:1). His first name, Judas, is despised today, but it was a common name in the days of Christ. It is the Greek form of Judah—the land of God's people. Iscariot literally means, "a man from the town of Kerioth." 

People commonly ask why Jesus would select such a man to be His disciple. Didn't He know how things would turn out? Yes, He did, and that's precisely why He chose him. The Old Testament said the Messiah would be betrayed by a familiar friend for thirty pieces of silver, and Jesus knew Judas was that man (John 17:12). 

Some people feel sorry for Judas, thinking he was simply misguided or used as some kind of pawn in a supernatural drama over which he had no control. But Judas did what he did by choice. Repeatedly Jesus gave him chances to repent, but he refused. Finally Satan used him in a diabolical attempt to destroy Jesus and to thwart God's plan of salvation. The Devil's attempt failed, however, because God can use even a Judas to accomplish His purposes. 

Undoubtedly there are people in your life who wish you harm. Don't be discouraged. They are as much a part of God's plan for you as those who treat you kindly. You must reach out to them just as Jesus reached out to Judas. God knows what He's doing. Trust Him, and rejoice as you see His purposes accomplished even through your enemies.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Even people of vastly different backgrounds can minister together for Christ. 

During the time between the Old and New Testaments, a fiery revolutionary named Judas Maccabaeus led the Jewish people in a revolt against Greek influences on their nation and religion. The spirit of that movement was captured in this statement from the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees: "Be ye zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant" (1 Maccabees 2:50). That group of politically-oriented, self-appointed guardians of Judaism later became known as the Zealots. 

During the New Testament period, Zealots conducted terrorist activities against Rome to free Israel from Roman oppression, prompting Rome to destroy Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and to slaughter people in 985 Galilean towns. 

After the destruction of Jerusalem, the few remaining Zealots banded together under the leadership of a man named Eleazar. Their headquarters was at a retreat called Masada. When the Romans laid siege to Masada and the Zealots knew defeat was imminent, they chose to kill their own families and to commit suicide themselves rather than face death at the hands of the Romans. It was a tragedy of monumental proportions, but such was the depth of their fiery zeal for Judaism and their hatred for their political enemies. 

Before coming to Christ Simon was a Zealot. Even as a believer, he must have retained much of his zeal, redirecting it in a godly direction. We can only imagine the passion with which he approached the ministry, having finally found a leader and cause transcending Judaism and political activism. It’s amazing to realize that Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax-gatherer ministered together. Under normal circumstances Simon would have killed a traitor like Matthew. But Christ broke through their differences, taught them to love each other, and used them for His glory. 

Perhaps you know believers who come from totally different backgrounds than yours. Do you have trouble getting along with any of them? If so, why? How can you begin to mend your differences? Be encouraged by the transformation Christ worked in Simon and Matthew, and follow their example.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,