Today’s Reading: John 7:53-8:11
John 8:7 — He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
God promises grace. The teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and then they challenged him with the law of Moses. The law said she must be stoned to death. Jesus said, “Okay, let’s uphold the law. Whoever is without sin can go first and throw a stone.”
All of the accusers left and only Jesus remained. He had never committed a sin, so He could have thrown stones at the woman and killed her, but He did not. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Jesus—God the Son who authored the law of Moses—did not condemn the woman. Jesus loved the woman and gave her grace to save her.
Some people would say that Jesus did not do the right thing. They would say that Jesus was encouraging the woman to sin more because if sin goes unpunished, people think they can sin without any consequences. But what did Jesus say? “From now on sin no more.” He did not encourage her to sin. He gave her an opportunity to live a changed life.
How is it that God can give sinners grace? God paid for the gift of grace with His own blood at the Cross. Grace is given to us freely, but at the cost of the life of God’s Son. You cannot call that cheap grace. Because of His great love for those He created in His own image and likeness, God perished for our sins so that none of us would have to and so that all of us could believe and receive grace for eternal life.
If love is the soil we are rooted in, grace in the rain we need for growth. Do not be ashamed to ask God for grace. If God gave His all just to make you His own, surely He will give grace to help you and change your life. God made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the infinite gift of grace. We need grace to live the new life that Christ has given to us. We cannot grow in faith without grace.
..05/19/2024
Devotional
“If love is the soil we are rooted in, grace in the rain we need for growth.”
Sadly today, most believers actually reason just the opposite-from themselves to God.
When all is going well, and God seems to be blessing,then it is that they feel He loves and accepts them. But when they are stumbling,and everything seems dry and hard,then they feel He does not love and accept them. How can this be? There is nothing about us to commend us to God.
God has accepted us IN HIS SON.As in justification, our acceptance is by GRACE alone.From Mile J. Stanford “The Green Letters”
Thank you for His unconditional Love and
priceless Grace!
Praise the Lord!
..2024년 5월…