HEART OF MARY OR JUDAS?
In man’s heart there is a battle between generosity and selfishness. Sometimes we feel within us a small Mary and sometimes a small Judas. The voice of Mary says: “give generously”. The voice of Judas yells: “be selfish, don’t be a fool!”.
One of the dangers of a selfish heart is that it becomes a thief. Let’s see what Judas would do:
“But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.” (John 12:3-6 NLT).
The second danger is that the selfish heart becomes a liar.
The third danger is that it begins to create all sorts of excuses for its lies.
Judas didn’t care about the poor, but instead he stole.
Sometimes one can ask how someone can dare to steal from God, it seems inconceivable. Nowadays many people do it every week. Let’s see what the bible says:
« Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me!(Malachi 3:8 NLT).
(Paraphrase of the book A Blessed Life).
Think about it:
With which heart do you identify? Mary’s heart or Judas’ heart? What act of generosity can you do for someone this week? What can you do to be generous with God for all he’s done in your life?