Today, let us think about betrayal. What is betrayal? We can explain it in many ways, but today let us think of it as “breaking a promise for my own benefit.” These days, betrayal has become very common. Sometimes people betray others without even realizing that it is betrayal. They may even say, “I did the right thing. I chose my own happiness.”
There was a woman who had a husband and children. But she left her family and began living with another man. She did not even end her marriage first. She gave up her promises and responsibilities to her husband and children for her own happiness and benefit.
Of course, not every broken marriage or separation is the same. Some people have been betrayed or abandoned through no choice of their own. This message is not about judging them. We are examining the heart that breaks promises for personal benefit.
Later, she began attending church. She worshiped God, received prayer, and was even healed of an illness. She experienced the grace of God. But after some time, she faced a serious problem at work. She prayed to God again, but this time the problem was not solved in the way she wanted. Then she stopped attending worship and eventually became distant from God.
These two events in her life may look different, but they may have come from the same attitude of heart. First, she left her family. Later, she left God. At the center was the question, “Is this still good for me?” When something benefits me, I stay. When it no longer benefits me, I break my promise and leave. We can do this to our family, and we can also do this to God. So we need to ask ourselves: Do I really love God, or do I love the benefits I receive from God?
Judas followed Jesus, but in the end, he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Mary Magdalene was different. Even when Jesus was crucified, she did not leave Him. It seemed that there was no longer any earthly benefit in following Jesus, but she remained near the cross and later went to His tomb. This is the difference between a heart that changes according to benefit and a heart that remains faithful even when there is no benefit.
Why must we remove this kind of character from our hearts? Because we are going to the kingdom of heaven. Galatians 5:19–21 speaks about the works of the flesh, including hatred, conflict, jealousy, anger, and division. Then it warns that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Betrayal breaks promises, destroys relationships, and can even turn people who once loved each other into enemies. Therefore, we must not only stop the act of betrayal. We must remove from our hearts the character that makes us break our promises for our own benefit.
This is why God sometimes allows us to go through trials. Through trials, what is inside our hearts is revealed. It is not enough simply to say, “Now I know this kind of heart is in me.” We must realize how sinful and wrong it is, and we must throw it away. If someone betrays me and I immediately want to betray that person in return, then that same character is still inside me. But if I can remain faithful even in the same situation, it shows that my heart has changed. We should also ask ourselves an even deeper question: Has the other person done nothing to betray me, yet am I the one betraying that person first because of my own benefit?
Deuteronomy 8:2 tells us that God tested the Israelites to reveal what was in their hearts. The opposite of betrayal is faithfulness. Faithfulness means that I do not keep my promises only when they benefit me. I keep them even when it costs me something. Therefore, when such trials come, we can even be thankful. Through them, we can discover what is in our hearts, remove what must be removed, and see whether we have truly changed.
On the other hand, we should not feel safe simply because everything is going well while we continue to break promises and live for our own benefit. Hebrews 12:6 says that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” Trials do not necessarily mean that God has abandoned us, and a comfortable life does not necessarily mean that God approves of everything we are doing. If we continue to have wrong attitudes without realizing them, repenting, or changing, we may actually be in spiritual danger.
We must also be clear about why we follow Jesus. We do not follow Jesus simply to receive earthly benefits. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Even when God does not answer our prayers in the way we want, we should not leave Him. Through Jesus Christ, we have already received the grace of forgiveness and salvation. Gratitude for this grace must be the foundation of our faith. Our final goal is not earthly benefit, but eternal life and the kingdom of heaven.
So today, instead of looking only at how other people have betrayed us, let us examine our own hearts. Am I breaking my promises for my own benefit? Can I remain faithful even when there is nothing for me to gain? As people who are walking toward the kingdom of heaven, we must remove the character of betrayal and become people who remain faithful to God and to others until the end.
