I vividly remember the day, many years ago, when my former employer called all
of his staff together. I anticipated some exciting news, and you can only
imagine my utter astonishment when my boss entered the staff room and started to
yell at us. His face was as red as a lobster, and I had no idea a human being
could have such lung capacity! My ears are still ringing thinking about it!
The funny thing is, though I vividly remember the incident, I can't remember a
word he said! I was too much in shock, too busy asking myself what I might have
done to contribute to his anger. What he was so displeased about didn't seem to
fit with anything I had done at my present work location, but could it be that I
had inadvertently been the cause of his outburst? I wanted to ask him: "Is it I?
Please tell me how to improve." But I was too terrified to utter a word
(wouldn't you?), and instead, I remained completely quiet.
After the meeting, several of my colleagues came to me. They knew I was new, and
this was my first experience with such an outburst. They explained to me that
this was our boss's way of dealing with problems. He never confronted an
individual alone; he preferred to yell at every one, even the innocent ones,
with the hope that the problem would be resolved that way.
"Is it I?"
This is a common question in the face of trouble. Why is it that we so often
feel guilty?
"Is it I?"
Is it possibly this is because we ARE guilty?
Jesus' disciples were no better. When Jesus was eating His last meal with them,
He had a declaration that utterly amazed them: "I tell you the truth, one of you
will betray me." (Matt 26:21 NIV)
Imagine, being one of His followers. What would your reaction have been? You
might know full well that you had not made any deals with His religious
opponents, but still you would wonder: "Could I possibly betray Jesus?"
This was exactly how the disciples reacted: "They were very sad and began to say
to him one after the other, 'Surely not I, Lord?'" (Matt 26:22 NIV)
We know from history that Judas was the one who officially betrayed Jesus for 30
silver pieces. But watch what happened when Jesus was arrested: "All the
disciples deserted him and fled." (Matt. 26:56 NIV) Where were His faithful
disciples then? Even the hardcore Peter, who vouched he would never desert
Jesus, disowned Him three times in front of an entire group of people (see
Matthew 26:69-75).
Maybe Judas was the only one who officially betrayed Jesus, but in reality, all
of the disciples betrayed Him by not standing by Him during those difficult
times, by fleeing without any second thoughts for Jesus' safety or wellbeing.
Jesus was utterly alone when facing His evil-plotting accusers. Where were those
who claimed to be His followers?
Reality is that we are all sinners, and we, too, usually think about our own
welfare first: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . ."
(Rom 3:23 NIV) Would we have done any better if we had been there during Jesus'
arrest? Do we do any better today? In our day and age, Jesus is being slandered
right and left. Are we doing anything to help those who do not even know His
unfailing love? Is there any hope for us to stand for Jesus and not betray Him
by our actions?
The Good News says yes. In the end, every one of Jesus' disciples, except for
Judas, turned into bold defenders of the faith, and all of them, with the
exception of John, willingly died on behalf of their Savior! What turned them
into bold witnesses of the Lord? "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Boldness comes only if we depend solely on the power of God's Spirit and not on
ourselves. Whenever we stand on our own merits, we utterly fail. It is at those
times that we wonder, "Is it I?" However when we let the Holy Spirit sit in the
driver's seat, our question turns into an exclamation: "All for Jesus!"
"He had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." (Acts 9:27 NIV)
Only when we stop depending on ourselves and start giving the Holy Spirit His
rightful place in our lives will others notice that something is different about
us.
"They were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."
(Acts 4:13-14 NIV)
We can continue to stumble and wonder "Is it I?", or we can stop focusing on
ourselves and fix our eyes on the "perfecter of our faith" (see Heb 12:2) and
make a worthwhile difference in this world.
"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together
with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to
the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:17-19 NIV)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.