Forty Days Full - An Invitation To Real Life

great when it means grace for my offences, but don't get in the way when my since of justice needs blood! It's amazing how a person who has been given great amounts of grace and forgiveness, can rise up with great fervor against someone who has done them wrong. Some people have left our church because I would not satisfy their since of justice by crucifying another member. Don't get me wrong, in being a leader I must regularly deal with issues and offences, but 'my way' rarely satisfies those with a desire for public humiliation. “I put a dog and cat in a cage together as an experiment, to see if they could get along. They did, so I put in a bird, a pig, and a goat. They, too, got along fine after a few adjustments. Then I put in a Baptist, a Presbyterian, and a Catholic; soon there was not a living thing left.” Mark Twain Jesus was remarkably gracious with His disciples. His grace with Judas is the most shocking. Not only did Jesus know betrayal was in his heart, but he put him in charge of the finances for the ministry. “And, it was known that he was a thief who would take money from the common purse for his own use.” (John 12:6). Can you imagine some of the conversations between some of the other disciples? It's likely that Jesus was even confronted with the truth about Judas. "You know the reason you had to multiply the loaves and fish were because Judas stole the money. Why don't you do something?" We know that Jesus wasn't ignorant or stupid. So why would He put a person with these character flaws in a place of leadership for over a period of three years. Is it possible he was giving opportunity for Judas to repent and make personal change in his life? Or, was Jesus modeling a style of leadership that had never been seen before.