Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Mark 14:10-11, “Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.”

Background

If you follow sports to any great degree, you are quite familiar with the term “pivotal.” In the World Series, for example, they just played the “pivotal” game five of the best-of-seven series, where each team had previously won two games apiece. In the NHL, when the two finalists play their game five, each knows that the team that has won game five historically has a much better than even chance to win the series than the team that lost, as much as three times better. And even within the baseball game, one might look at a play or two in the third or sixth inning and say that was the pivotal play in determining the outcome of the game. A timely hit was executed by one team, while the other team missed out on a huge opportunity to score. Of course, there are a myriad of things that go into determining who wins and who loses a game, just like there are in determining what someone will do or who they will become. But in our lives, when we look back a few years or a few decades, we might point to one or two decisions that went a long way in shaping who we are and what we’ve accomplished.

Application

Judas must have had a pivotal moment or two somewhere along the way. To conclude your life by betraying the Son of God and then hanging yourself, a few pivotal decisions were made that took him down that dark path. But they may have been made while eating breakfast or walking through town, doing things he ordinarily did every day. Today may be another ordinary day for you. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a pivotal one. If there are decisions you have been wrestling with, or choices that you need to make, today may be the day that you choose the path that you will take. It may not seem very impactful at the moment, but perhaps what you do today will enable you to do another something tomorrow. And before you know it, days and weeks have passed, and your life has been changed like never before. So, if today is your game five, then follow the Spirit that will lead you where you should go. Make that pivotal decision for His glory, and bask in all the joy and peace that it brings.

Charge

As we seek Him today, remember to give every decision you make to the Lord, asking for His wisdom and perfect guidance. Open your heart to all the possibilities before you, not just the same old ones you’ve always chosen.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words