Second Cup of Coffee pt3

I wrote a brief manuscript back in 2003 about being a single mom, and the many challenges of raising a child on my own. The manuscript includes Scripture that god made especially precious to me during the early years. My pastor read the piece and said that it would make a nice series of blogs. So here we go. I hope that some one is blessed.

He said: The Master’s Response

This they said testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and called to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one. Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”     John 8:6-11 NKJV

      Check it out! Jesus knew the real motive behind the humiliation the people were willing to heap on this woman. They had no compassion or mercy and were ready to destroy her to prove a point. The Lord did not answer their accusations, but acted as if He didn’t hear. The Bible doesn’t tell us what He wrote on the ground. The crowd persisted so Jesus said. “Those without sin cast the first stone.” Those folks had to leave her alone starting with oldest. Notice that the oldest of the religious crowd had sense enough to know that Jesus could read their mail so they dropped their stones. If the elders, being the most respected, were dropping their stones, the wild and reckless had to drop theirs. Jesus then addresses the woman with kindness. He doesn’t condemn her. He lifts her up to go and sin no more. Our Lord does the same for you and me. If we give our lives, our bodies, and our souls to Jesus to obey Him only, there is no condemnation. Romans 8:1 says “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

      We can live clean and free in Him Who loves us. Feel the warmth of His love and let Him set you free from the voices that keep you down in the dirt. In the words of my nephew, ‘shake it off, shake it off.’