Thursday, March 18

Make these words your prayer as you begin today:
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.


Read:
John 8:9-11
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

The Pharisees want to trap Jesus between a rock and a hard place – theologically speaking. If he forgives the woman’s sin – he fails to acknowledge the holiness of God. If he allows her to be stoned to death – he will no longer be seen as the “friend of sinners.” So what does he do? He does both!

Someone has said that “truth without love is harsh; and love without truth is license.” Jesus avoids both pitfalls by offering grace with truth.
Grace is Jesus saying: “Then neither do I condemn you.”
Truth is Jesus saying: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Notice that grace comes first! It is not until we have experienced the grace of Christ that we have the strength to leave our sin behind.

Have you experienced the sheer and absolutely undeserved grace of Jesus? Have you stood before him with all your failures and sin exposed and heard him say, “Neither do I condemn you?”

Have you experienced the truth of Jesus? Having received his forgiveness, have you heard him then speak firmly and directly, “Go now and leave your life of sin?”

Ask Jesus to help you, by his Spirit, to receive both his grace and his truth today.

Brian Coffey