6-25-22 Today in the Word

Everyone Needs Forgiveness Saturday, June 25 | John 8:1–11 On the Go? Listen to Today's Devotional Have you noticed how social media has opened the floodgates on judging others? It seems that we are constantly judging or being judged. How many likes did I get? What do others think about me? This is nothing new. In Jesus’ time, people judged and were judged, but not online. Their method was to bring the accused before the teachers of the Law. One day, at dawn, people gathered around Jesus in the Temple courts to listen to His teaching. Suddenly Jesus was interrupted. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and pushed her in front of Jesus. They wanted to stone her to death, but they had an ulterior motive too (v. 5). They wanted to trap Jesus with their questions. The Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences, so if Jesus approved her stoning, He would conflict with the Romans. If he said not to stone her, He could have been accused of not supporting the Law. When Jesus bent down to write in the sand, they kept questioning Him. After His response in verse seven, He bent down again and wrote something else. After a long pause, everyone walked away, leaving just Jesus and the woman. He told her, since they did not condemn her, He wouldn’t either (v. 11). He gave her a second chance, saying, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (v. 11). Jesus did not judge or excuse the woman, He offered something better: forgiveness. He offers that to you and me today. >> Too often we are quick to judge and condemn others. When we are tempted to find fault and declare someone’s worth, particularly in public shaming, Jesus shows us another way. We, too, have sinned. We all need forgiveness. He has also given us a second chance. Make sure you are giving others a second chance as well. Pray with Us Forgive us for treasuring up anger and grievances against the people who rub us the wrong way. Give us Your perspective on the people we resent—and on the sources of our resentment. Help us treat others better than ourselves.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more