Matthew 26: 14Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests 15and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.[i]


“From a human perspective, Judas had the same potential as the others. The difference is that he was never really drawn to the Person of Christ. He saw Him only as a means to an end. Judas' secret goal was personal prosperity - gain for himself. He never embraced Jesus’ teaching by faith. He never had an ounce of true love for Christ. His heart had never been changed, and therefore the light of truth only hardened him.” [ii]



I firmly believe that one of the most curious acts I witness Christians performing is writing a check to place in the offering. With this one act, far too many of us believe that we have paid the price to insure God remains on our side for the next six and nine-tenths days of the week. As a means to an end, it’s an exercise in futility. I believe in my lifetime that I will attend a church that encourages me to put a time card in the offering box rather than money. On that card we will be joyfully commit our hearts and our time to the work of the church for the upcoming week.


Today, we sell our loyalty and commitment to Christ, just as Judas did. We need a change of heart. Today, identify something that you are giving your money, time or character to that honestly compromises your whole-hearted commitment to Jesus Christ. After all, it’s just chump change.