"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Deuteronomy14:2

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: February 22

" ... Woman, where are those thine accusers? ... " ~ John 8:10b
Jesus warns us carefully that His presence in our lives will oftentimes bring a sword between us and our loved ones who do not yet know Him. But the little sharp "clear stone" we look at now flashes to my mind as I [Eugenia Price, the author] think on what Jesus must have meant when He said we were to be willing to take up our crosses and follow Him. In the same spirit in which He carried His cross in the midst of persecution and jeers and ridicule. Perhaps your mother or father or your brother or sister or friend or husband is not a follower of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are an exuberant new follower. Perhaps you have known Him for a long, long time and are still living among those who do not. Perhaps they give you a "rough time", as we say. Jesus warned us about this, but He also showed us by His personal behavior, even on His way to the Cross, that we are not to fight back. We are not to adjust our "martyr's crowns" and act superior. We are not to argue. We are not to accuse. We are not to lecture. We are not to condemn. Let this truth shine to the depths of our beings: The Lord Jesus treads softly when He is near the hearts of those who do not yet know Him! He drove the religiosos from the temple, and He spoke harshly to the Pharisees of His day, but He didn't even look at the sinful woman the religious people wanted to stone, for fear of embarrassing her. He is always gentle with sinners. He Himself experienced the pain of sin when He took our sins into His own heart on Calvary. He is always gentle and tender with those still in darkness. Not soft, but gentle. He never compromises His holiness, but He remembers the pain of sin. He who was sinless, bore the pain of the sin of the entire world in His own heart on Calvary, and He will never forget it. Therefore it would be impossible for the Lord Jesus to be harsh with sinners still in darkness.
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ... ... Woman, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

No comments: