Patsy Hall’s Blog

I am writing this a couple of weeks before Christmas 2011, and lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary from Luke 1.26-38.  I do not know if my thoughts are what actually happened over 2,000 years ago, but please, bear with me for a bit.  Think of it, Mary, a young virgin, going about life as usual when suddenly she encounters an angel who says, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you!” v.28.  The Bible says this encounter troubled Mary.  How would you have reacted?  I mean, it all sounds really good and encouraging, but still… Then the angel continues in v.31-33 telling her not to be afraid…that she has favor with God…that she will be pregnant with the Son of the Most High…and that He will reign forever…no end to His Kingdom! 

That is a lot to swallow!  Clearly the pregnancy is an issue since her only response refers only that:  “How will this be since I am a virgin?” v.34.  Perhaps for a moment she had assumed her and Joseph’s first son would be someone very special whom God would use as a good ruler in Israel; but the answer to her question was far removed from that assumption. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the Holy one to be born will be called the Son of God,” v.35.  All the angel said would have been difficult to comprehend.  No pattern existed remotely close to the explanation in v.35—there was no manual for what to do next. Then, before she could respond, the angel told her about Elizabeth, her elderly, barren relative, now six months pregnant!

“NOTHING is impossible with God,” v.37, the angel added.  What do you say to that!  Well, what Mary said affected all humanity—past, present and future! At first her answer might make her sound pious and perfect, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said,” v.38;  but I believe she really did love the Lord and really did want to please Him. So when she heard about Elizabeth’s impossible pregnancy, the mustard seed of faith her Son would speak about in just over 30 years, was released and in her heart she could agree with what the angel said: “nothing is impossible with God.”  Before her mind took back the reins, her heart had said, Yes!  In her willingness to be used by God, she was saying, yes, Lord…here I am…use me!  Have you ever said something like that to Him?  Such a yes is a covenant statement.  It will stand as an anchor in your decisions and RELATIONSHIP with God—even when all hell breaks loose.

Has God called you to something impossible?  Have you said yes and then felt the weight of your inability to do what you had just promised?  What do you do about it?  Do you give up or get with God and choose to trust Him with every what, when and how?

PRAYER:  Father, I’ve not always understood what I felt You were calling me to do.  So many times it doesn’t make sense.  I have asked, “Why me?”—not because I didn’t want to obey, but because I didn’t see how I could possibly succeed.  It just seemed too much for someone like me—beyond my abilities. Oh Lord, forgive me for giving up, for not pursuing, for questioning but not seeking.  Help me to grasp the truth that truly, “nothing is impossible with You,” even in Your choice of me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Listen to something God said to Jeremiah.  “In this place which is desolate….there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.”  Jer 33.12.  Do you hear the HOPE in that?  Are there places in your life and memories labeled desolate?  Even in those places of impossibility, God’s Word stands firm and says to you:  “there shall again be a place of rest…of life…of moving forward.” 

Back in Jer 29.11 God said, “I know the thoughts I have toward you; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a HOPE.”  He gives HOPE, yes; but even more, He has a future embedded in peace planned out for you.  Like me, you have probably held on to HOPE time and time again in different situations; but in the HOPING do you also accept the truth that there is a literal plan in God’s heart for your future?

The ultimate in HOPE and future is, of course, eternity with God but to receive it, requires us to make a choice.  We must realize God has given us the responsibility and privilege of choosing during our time on earth.  “What will be will be” is a deceptive mind-set that often dissuades us from exercising our choice and moving forward secure in HOPE that we do have a future, God does have a plan for us, and it is thoroughly good!

I don’t know about you, but every choice I’ve made without God, I regret.  I have “if only I’d know God back then” thoughts that pass through my mind every now and again.  But praise God, one day I did choose to trust Him and now, like many of you, I have HOPE…and also a very real future—a plan that is good and established for me by God.  I don’t have to fret or worry no matter how horrific or full of pain circumstances are.  Storms will not be avoided, but because of God, there will always be a way through. I have HOPE when it is dark, a future when things are impossible.  The plan God has for my life is for my good, no matter what it feels like in the moment at hand.

How can I believe what I just wrote? because over the years I have come to KNOW God.  As my RELATIONSHIP with Him developed, the storms and calamities that have hit my life have not consumed or destroyed me.  My HOPE in Him has never faded.  Knowing His faithfulness, has strengthened that HOPE so as I have trusted, I have known I have a future and God’s plan for me really will be good—in due season it will come to pass.  None of us know how the rest of our lives will play out, but when we KNOW God, that RELATIONSHIP holds us, keeps us, releases HOPE and assures us of a future filled with good plans. “What will be will be?”  No…that is a cop-out. Step up to the plate and exercise your responsibility and privilege to choose God and His good plan.

PRAYER:  Spirit of God, I hear what You are saying to me through Jeremiah.  Wow.  So often I have put you on the back burner, not considered my decisions important enough to bring to You.  Forgive me for assuming that “what will be” will be Your plan.  Lord, today I choose You.  I commit to choosing You in every situation and I ask You to call me to task when I slack off.  Teach me to seek Your will, to recognize Your will and to never let go of the Hope You have given me in Christ.  Teach me to trust that even for me,  Your plan for the future is good.  Thank you, Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“Live in the moment!”  How many times has someone told you that? Recently I had the privilege of being in Guatemala.  While there, a tropical storm dumped too much rain and mudslides blocked roads across the nation.  As the days passed and plans changed, I had no choice but to “live one moment at a time.”

Back home, a dear friend spent the night with us and shared about God showing her how to move forward through a painful situation. He had said, “Do what you know to do now.”  Generally we cannot trust ourselves with instructions like that, but when our RELATIONSHIP with the Lord is strong and up-to-date like that friend’s was, we can lean heavily on Him and “do what we know to do now,”  just as she is beginning to do. I have pondered how to do this living-one-moment-at-a-time, and realize it is key to a verse that has been impossible for me to do—“be anxious for nothing,” Phil 4.6. 

In Guatemala I was forced to live in the moment because of natural conditions.  As I look back—worry, anxiousness, all the what-if’s and unknowns lost their power over me.  Jesus said, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” Mt 6.34.  I realized I was actually living that verse out each day!  It was glorious!  Peace prevailed.  I truly was anxious for nothing, because in the moment at hand, I was alive and doing what I knew to do right then.  That was all I had and it was enough.

In Mt 6.33, Jesus had said, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then…ALL THESE THINGS will be added to you.”  If you read these verses in context you see that He had been talking about NOT WORRYING, v. 25-32.  How readily we worry about things Jesus specifically tells us NOT to worry about! 

Why do we let something like that slip?  Is it because we are not quite as good at “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” as we think we are?  Because we are better at quoting“trust in the Lord with all your hearts and lean not on your own understanding,” Pr 3.5, than living it?  Because we are anxious, worried and fall short of “acknowledging Him in all of our ways, or believing He will direct our paths,” Pr 3.6? 

At half time in a recent college football games, an interviewer asked a player, “what is the plan for the second half?”  His answer, “we are just going to go out there and do what we do!”  They did just that and they won the game!  What about you?  If you are “trusting in the Lord with all of your heart and are NOT leaning on your own understanding;  seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,”  then you can trust God to direct your paths—so get out there and do what you do!  Follow Him!

PRAYER:  Oh God…I need Your help, Your strength, Your courage.  I need to just stop, be still, seek You and know beyond a shadow of a doubt….once again….that YOU are Lord.  My understanding is just not good enough.  But You are.  You are not just good, but You are enough.  Constrain and restrain as You will…I just want to be in that position of leaning on You…trusting….seeking…following.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God spoke to Jeremiah in Jer 18.2:  “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.”  That is specific! “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the potter’s wheel.  The vessel he was making of clay was marred, so he made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter,” v.3-4.

If that happened to you today, how would you respond?  Would you even go to the potter’s house?  Then would you have thought, “okay, here I am, but I don’t have a clue why I’m here”?  I wonder—how many times do we miss God because He tells us to do something so ordinary, because He uses mundane things in His instructions.

Jesus did it all the time!  He told a simple story of two men building houses but in that, taught His followers the importance of building their lives on the right foundation so they would make it through the storms of life, Mt 7.  He told a story of what happened to seeds sown on a path, rocky soil, thorny places or good ground; but He was speaking about the condition of their hearts to receive the Truth of the Word of God, Mt 13. 

He told a story of a coin, Lk 15, one lost coin!  “What is that all about,” many might say.  Everyone has a coin, everyone loses coins—why pay attention to such a simple, pointless story?  BUT, in verses 8-10, this ordinary story is used to describe how much value God places on each of us, how intensely He loves us and the great extent to which He goes to rescue us from being lost.  In the story, a woman lit a lamp, swept her entire house searching carefully until she found the coin.  Then she rejoiced so extravagantly Jesus compares her joy to the angels’ celebration “over one sinner who repents.”  Wow!

So…Jeremiah, sent to watch a potter make and remake a vessel.  Ordinary, mundane;  BUT, God used that simple example to illustrate what He was about to do in Israel.  Yes, the story is simple, but how God uses it is powerful—it impacted a nation.

So…you hear the story of the lost coin.  Ordinary, mundane; BUT, God uses this simple illustration as an example of the full extent of His love for you…His heart that never gives up on you…His desire for you, so great and overflowing with love that when He finds you He explodes in celebration so extravagant nothing on earth compares!  Yes, the stories and illustrations might be ordinary, but do not let their simplicity dilute their message. 

What simple, ordinary thing is God showing you? “See with your eyes, hear with your ears and give attention to all I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Ezk 40.4.  Do not miss what He wants you to see and hear.

PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for letting pride and arrogance rise up and convince me something is not worth my paying attention.  Please, Lord…teach me to walk humbly before You, open to the smallest and most insignificant moment You may choose to use to release truth, expressions of love or insight I so desperately need.  Give me eyes to see, ears to hear and a mind open to pay attention to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In Ezekiel 40, God is giving measurements relating to the Temple; but even in this specific vision, there is something you and I need to hear for our own lives.  It is what Ezekiel heard: “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears and give attention to all I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you.  Declare to the house of Israel all that you see,” v.4.  We need to take that bit of instruction to heart as we open our Bible to study, listen to a message, head out to work or school, go on a mission trip or meet a friend over a coffee!  It seems to me that this is part of our mandate for life as believers. 

“See with your eyes.”  Be observant and go into each moment of your life with an expectancy that God has something you need to recognize.  Throughout the Bible there are incidents when, as in Is 44.9, people fail to see or know and as a result, miss what God is saying.  The question God asked Jeremiah in Jer 1.11 is implied throughout the Bible: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”   Why would we ever look without the intent to see what God wanted us to see? This week, do what He says, “see with your eyes.”

“Hear with your ears.”  Another command. Remember 1 Ki 19, where Elijah flees from Jezebel and hides in a cave, v.9.  “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  God asked.  That question re-opened the door to freedom for Elijah, but it required that he first listen with his ears!  God didn’t speak in the spectacular wind, the powerful earthquake…or even the raging fire…but in a still small voice, v.13.  It was in the quietness that God spoke and gave Elijah directions that would change Israel dramatically.  What might you have missed because you were not intent upon “hearing with your ears?”

“Give attention to all I am going to show you.” Pay attention.  The implication is that something is about to be said or done…but in order to see and hear we often have to come to the place where we “cease striving and know that He is God.” Ps 46.10a. Where we will “be still.”  Hard to do, but that is the posture of our heart and mind if we are paying attention.  It is a place of not yielding to or even noticing distractions. It takes time, it requires us to settle into that place of contentedness that God promises, Is 32.18.

In Jn 4.7-42, the Woman at the Well, a despised Samaritan with many issues in her life was not the kind of person a “holy man” would be with; however, Jesus was with her! His disciples were shocked, puzzled when He turned down the food they brought Him.  “My food,” He said, “is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work (His purpose),” Jn 4.34.  Son of God though He was, even Jesus had to see with His eyes, hear with His ears and pay attention to all the Father was showing Him, because He had been sent to earth for a specific purpose.  Sounds like He was doing Ezk 40.4!

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, open my eyes, my ears and mind…open my heart to see other people and circumstances as You do; to hear the cry of the heart in the ones around me.  Even as You open my heart and mind, guard them so that Your hedge of protection is around me to stop the voices that are not Yours.  Teach me to hear and see, YOU, Lord.  Train me to pay attention and maintain my focus on You alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Truth can hurt.  In the Bible we are told to be careful with TRUTH—to speak it in LOVE.  It is only when a foundation of LOVE has been established in our lives through our RELATIONSHIP with God that can we speak TRUTH to others in ways enabling them to continue growing in all aspects into Christ, Eph 4.15.  Yes, Jesus is “the Way, the TRUTH and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.” Jn 14.6.  But “God is (also) LOVE,” 1 Jn 4.8, and He wants us to thoroughly mix TRUTH and LOVE in our attitudes, our actions and all we say. 

In Eph 4, we are called to walk in humility with gentleness and patience, expressing LOVE to one another, v.1-2.  We are called to diligently preserve our RELATIONSHIP with other believers as well as the Lord, v.3, because we are called to oneness with Christ, as well as the Body of Christ, v.4; and that oneness requires LOVE.

God has gifted each of us with attributes and strengths that others need.  He has allowed weaknesses in all of us as well, so we not only learn to depend upon Him, but are able to receive the help and encouragement He gives us through other believers.  This way of equipping us which He has established draws us together into a oneness and unity of faith as well as a greater knowledge of Jesus, v.11-12.  All of this interdependence and support one for another is built upon that foundation of TRUTH and LOVE.

Notice the significance of this foundation of LOVE in Gal 5.6:  “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through LOVE.”  “The ONLY thing that counts!”  Wow!   So, if expressing life through LOVE is the ONLY thing that counts, how is TRUTH and LOVE working in your foundation? How is faith working in your circumstances?  Keep in mind—it needs to be “expressed through LOVE!—it’s the ONLY thing that counts!”

Peter writes about the connection between TRUTH and LOVE, “Now that you have been purified by obeying the TRUTH so that you have sincere love for your brothers, LOVE one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Pet 1.22.  We have a foundation upon which to stand; and it will stand forever!—TRUTH and LOVE! 1 Pet 1.25a.

Later in 1 Pet 4, he tells us to use the attributes and gifts God has given us “to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms,” v.10.   What an expression of LOVE!  And again, nothing could be clearer than Peter’s admonition: “Above ALL, LOVE each other deeply…LOVE covers over a multitude of sins,” v.8.  Above ALL!  LOVE!  How are you doing on that?  Peter continues—as you speak TRUTH or anything else remember, you have the privilege and responsibility to speak as though you were saying the very words of God, v.11; therefore, speak the TRUTH in LOVE.

PRAYER:  Oh Lord!  What weight You put on our words.  Spirit of God, please guard my mind and mouth and teach me to speak how You speak…and I know Your words would be enveloped completely in LOVE.  Forgive me for times I’ve spoken harshly and in judgment, bringing condemnation and hurt instead of releasing Your grace.  Please teach me how to LOVE deeply, from my heart as You love me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In Deuteronomy 28, Moses reads a list of the amazing blessings God wants to pour out upon His people.  He also warns them about consequences that will result if they break and disobey God’s commands. So, given that “God is love,” 1 Jn 4.8;  given that Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments,” Jn 14.15;  we can establish that our RELATIONSHIP with God is built solely upon a foundation of LOVE. With such a foundation, obeying God’s Word is not an enslaving act or even a duty, but joy and a delight expressed as we choose to live according to His plan!

Jesus was clear when He said for us “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  The second is like it, ‘…love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments the whole Law and Prophets depend.” Mt 22.36-40.  LOVE—a priority—no buts or what-ifs—LOVE. 

Odd how we humans generally obey the laws of the land, yet here is God, our Creator, a great God beyond description…and so many of us do not even bother to find out what His laws are or study to understand why they exist.  We so easily forget the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 apply directly to us when we live according to His Word.  What might change in your life if you actually lived out Matthew 22.36-40???

Too often we have a tendency to assume God begins every sentence with “Don’t!”  But look at His desire for you and me in Deut 28.  He prefaces His list of incredible blessings with this:  “ALL these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey (listen to) the Lord your God.” v.2.  ALL!  There is nothing greater than ALL of something! And that is what He has for us!  Not blessings we have to go out and look for, but blessings that will overtake us!  Read Deut 28.1-14 for that list of blessings.  Take each verse and translate it into your life.  You may not have “herds and flocks” to be increased, but you probably have or need a job, or are in the midst of school courses, parenting or doing volunteer work.  Take verses 1-14 as a template and plug each blessing into your life! The rest of the chapter is filled with the consequences of sin, of not pursuing God, NOT “loving Him with all your heart, soul and mind.” 

Like most things, our RELATIONSHIP with God is a growing experience, and as we grow, “blessings will come upon us and yes…they will overtake us!” because that is what God Himself said would happen!  A RELATIONSHIP based on LOVE!  Simple, yet seldom easy; but it is the foundation of our lives as believers.  Is the foundation in your RELATIONSHIP with the Lord LOVE?  Or have you slipped sideways in the stress of life relating out of duty or obligation, losing the sparkle of joy and peace He has for you?

PRAYER:  Father, You are unbelievable!  Yet, ALL of the astounding things I read about You in the Word are true. Forgive me for slipping off my foundation of LOVE…help me recognize when I begin to step off and resort to dutifully fulfilling some list of rules I think will make You happy.  All I really want to do is to LOVE You and please You in everything I do…give You reason to smile.  I do love You so, and I am counting on Your faithfulness and Your precious and powerful Love.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have you ever been floored by what you felt God was calling you to do?  Perhaps you shouted, “not me, Lord!” or maybe you just said “okay…but this is going to have to be all You because this is impossible for me!”  Sometimes I wonder if the prophets of God we read about in the Bible ever felt that way.  When the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, they seemed to speak with such strength and power, but then I remember—they too were human, just like us…

Ezekiel was one who had some pretty tough responsibilities.  He must have had a strong RELATIONSHIP with the Lord to be able to say and do all he did for over twenty years—and a captive in Babylon on top of that!  I wonder…what would you or I have done? God did not have a problem using Ezekiel—He obviously trusted this man to obey…  What about you? or me?

God called Ezekiel to speak to his own people.  At first that may seem easier than going to a foreign land, but God had some strong words for His people.  Israel had gone way off the deep end and because of their sin, there were consequences—that is what Ezekiel was going to be telling his nation.  But God prepared this man of God…He filled Ezekiel up with His Word and Ezekiel said it was “like honey in sweetness.” Ezek 3.3.  But in spite of the familiar territory and people, God clearly explained:  “Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me…they are impudent and hardhearted.” Ezek 3.7.

Because of this impossible responsibility, God further encouraged Ezekiel, “Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces and your forehead strong against their foreheads.  Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house….receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.  And go, get to the captives…speak to them and tell them…” Ezek 3.8-11. Ezekiel had things to say and do and he walked in the all God entrusted to him, strengthened to do it because of his RELATIONSHIP with God.

Has God given you impossible responsibilities to fulfill? Though difficult, it is also an opportunity to trust in God, leaning on Him, not your own understanding.  It is a chance to watch God work through you in ways you cannot imagine!  Like Ezekiel, depend upon God to thoroughly prepare you to walk in these responsibilities.  The prerequisite?—a true RELATIONSHIP with Him!

God explained to Ezekiel that Israel’s response did not reflect on their personal RELATIONSHIP.  And like Ezekiel, our responsibility is to do what God calls us to do too—in spite of weaknesses, the past, regrets or successes in life.  When it comes to the bottom line of life, it always centers back down on this RELATIONSHIP—what have we done with all God has given us?  How have we responded to Him?  We just need to do what He calls us to do!  That’s all!

PRAYER:  Lord God, as I read through Ezekiel 3 and other passages I shake in my boots, yet I also long to serve You, to hear Your voice, to have the courage to say “Here I am” every time You speak.  Father, today, this week, I choose to rearrange my priorities, my perspective on life.  I choose to cease striving and trying to be someone I am not.  Here I am, Lord…I want to draw near, hear Your voice.  I choose to stop and pay attention to You, Holy Spirit, as You teach me and guide me in the way that I should go.  Open my ears, Lord…please.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have you ever been caught in sin?  Someone walked in on you when you were breaking the law?  Someone calling your attention to lies you spoke or gossip you spread that would hurt someone’s feelings?  Or maybe your own conscience has been smitten because the thoughts you were thinking were dark, dirty, filled with doubt, prejudices or judgment?  The Bible says “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Ro 3.23.

When the religious leaders caught the woman in the act of adultery, Jn 8.3-4, they challenged Jesus, standing on their knowledge of the Law.  What they did not realize was that Jesus had come to “give life and give it more abundantly,’ Jn 10.10.  They had no idea who they were challenging.  They had no concept of the power of God’s love.  They were so focused on the letter of the law that there was no room for love.  Remember, “God IS love,” 1 Jn 4.8.

Without love, there is no grace or mercy and that is the very reason Jesus came to earth!  To destroy the power of sin and open the way for mercy and grace to be released to mankind through God’s love.  In a nutshell, Grace is God giving us something we do not deserve, in an eternal light—that is everlasting life.  Mercy is God withholding from us what we deserve, and what we deserve is eternal death.  God is love, and Jesus came to release it to the fullest!

In this accusatory and potentially destructive scene in Jerusalem, we see religious law and judgment in stark contrast to God’s love, grace and mercy.  No…Jesus does not overlook the woman’s sin, He explicitly said, “go and sin no more.” Jn 8.11.  But what a contrast.  The religious leaders were ready to stone her to death.  Jesus was ready to give her Life!

Why would anyone ever pick religion over a RELATIONSHIP with a God of Love, Mercy and Grace?  A God who gives what we do not deserve and withholds the judgment we do deserve! 

What is there in your RELATIONSHIP with the Lord that prevents you from walking fully in the grace and mercy His love has released so freely to you? That keeps you at bay, afraid that if you are found out you will be ruined?  What is it that shuts down your ability (or maybe your willingness) to receive all He died to give you?  Yes, He definitely says, “sin no more,” but His love, grace and acceptance decreases and ends our natural desire for sin.

Think about the woman caught in the act of blatant sin…about Christ’s Love…His demonstration of acceptance rather than condemnation.  The protection and refuge His Love establishes.  Why would you let religion with its condemnation, fear and judgment hold any sway in your life?

PRAYER:  Oh Lord…I am so sorry.  No matter how I try, there are things I just don’t seem to be able to shake.  My fear of exposure, doubts that rise up from time to time about how real Your grace or mercy really is…at least for me.  I am so sorry to  not always trust You 100%. I want to, there is just so much of my flesh still alive and well in me.  Help me Lord to yield to Your love and grace…to accept the mercy You died to pour out upon me. How amazing to think of how much You really do love me and care for me. Help me to walk more fully in the truth and reality of this RELATIONSHIP we have. I am so grateful, more than I can say.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God the Son had spent the night talking with God the Father.  The following morning He was teaching in the temple when some religious leaders brought a woman to Him whom they had “caught in adultery, in the very act.” Jn 8.3-4. They said, “in the law, Moses commanded us that such should be stoned; but what do You say?” v. 5.  These men “were testing Jesus, trying to find something of which they could accuse Him.” v. 6a.  The Law of Moses was on their side, adulterers were to be stoned to death.  Even the Ten Commandments said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  They thought they had Jesus over a barrel!

This woman had no defense and by the law, deserved death.  She was probably on the ground in a heap trying to cover her naked body—what an utterly horrific moment.  The men did not care one iota about her.  They were consumed with discrediting and destroying Jesus no matter who got hurt, or killed, in the process.

While “Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger as though He did not hear.” v.6b, these men pressed their point.  Then Jesus stood. “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” v.7, and He resumed writing on the ground.  What did He write?  No one knows, but since v.9 says:  “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 with the woman”—one can make a fairly good assumption that what He wrote  exposed these men to some un-confessed sin in their life which they did not want revealed.

Remember, Jesus had said, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone”?  Well, of all people over all of time, Jesus has been the ONLY one without sin.  The ONLY one who had the right to stone this woman who had been caught in sin, yet He says, “Has no one condemned you?” and then adds, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more,” v.10-11.

Earlier Jesus had said, “God did not send His Son (Me) into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Jn 3.17.  This woman, in an impossible situation, desperately needed saving.  The Law dictated death.  The religious leaders did not care; but there stood Jesus and the situation was not impossible for Him.  Did He take her sin lightly?  No.  But He didn’t take HER lightly either.  Soon He would be the sacrifice for her sin, and impossible situations deserving death would, through a RELATIONSHIP with Him, turn into  Life and that more abundantly! Jn 10.10, for those who trusted and believed Him.  Hallelujah!

PRAYER:  Jesus, You certainly came as Light into my world.  I don’t always see the darkness and sin still present in my life. I want to “sin no more” but, I need Your help.  Show me.  Teach me and draw me closer and closer to You.  Thank you, Lord,  for not casting the first stone at me.  I certainly deserved it.  Thank you for reaching down in Your amazing love and grace and not condemning me.  Thank you for utterly washing away my sin, for overcoming Satan’s plan to destroy my life.  Please, Lord, strengthen me so I can go and “sin no more.”  Thank You, Spirit of God for choosing to dwell in me and with me forever.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.