To stone or not to stone

*The following devotional was inspired by bestselling speaker and writer, Liz Curtis Higgs, who I had the great fortune of hearing speak this past weekend at the Northwestern Christian Writers Conference.

Reading for today: John 8:1-11

by Larry Eubanks

The law only required two or three witnesses to charge an offender. They wanted the whole town to see.

In a case like this, both the transgressing man and woman should be brought forward. They only brought the woman.

“Teacher,” the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?”

If Jesus had answered, “Stone her,” then all his teachings on mercy and grace go out the door.

If Jesus had answered, “Don’t stone her,” he discredits the Law of Moses and himself.

So what does Jesus do?

As the crowd watches silently and the disgraced woman waits fearfully, Jesus stoops down to write in the dirt. What did he write?

Some people say that a judge would write down his sentence before pronouncing it. Or maybe he was simply diverting the eyes of the people, saving the humiliated woman from their condemning stares. Maybe he was giving everyone time to think. Whatever he was writing, it took awhile because those around him had to keep asking for a verdict.

Instead of a verdict, Jesus called the question. “Let him who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone.” Silence. Nothing but the sound of unused stones dropping to the ground. Then, one by one and without a word, they walked away, convicted.

The only one who was without sin, the only one who had the right to condemn the woman, Jesus stood quietly before her. And he without a stone in his hand.

Dear God, How is it that You have not condemned me? In my shame and in my disgrace, You offer me forgiveness, hope, and salvation. Give me the power to accept Your grace and to go and sin no more. Amen.

Day 2 – John 3:16-17

Day 3 – Romans 8:1-6

Day 4 – Romans 3:22-24

Day 5 – 1 John 2:15-17

 

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Broken Pieces

Reading for today: Romans 8:28

Retrieved from elizabethhagen.com

Every summer my parents, sister, and I would crowd into our small car and head south from New Hampshire to visit family. After the first few hours we would be sweaty and grumpy, drinking ice water from a thermos to keep cool.

I remember when my parents finally bought a car with air conditioning, a sky blue Dodge Spirit. We were excited to hit the road that summer. Unfortunately, by the time we crossed the Massachusetts border, we heard a loud crunch and dad noticed in the rear-view mirror that something had fallen out of the bottom of the car.

He pulled over, grabbed the pieces of our car, and prayed the car would start. It did. But the air conditioning we were anticipating never came on again.

Nine hot, sweaty, and grumpier than usual hours later, we arrived at my grandparents’ home. My dad drove the broken car to the nearest mechanic.

The mechanic asked my father what seemed to be the problem. My dad replied, “I’m not sure, but I think these have something to do with it.” He laid the broken pieces of his car on the counter.

The mechanic laughed, recognizing the pieces. He fixed our car and we had air conditioning from then on.

While life can be full of joy, it can also be full of broken pieces. When you break down, don’t forget to grab the pieces. Bring them straight to God. Lay them on His counter. He’ll recognize the pieces and know exactly how to fix them, but usually in ways you never expected.

Dear God, I am broken in this area:________________________. I need you to put my pieces back together. Fix it, Lord. Make me new. Show me the good you have intended for my life. Amen.

As you meditate on God’s power of redemption, listen to Ellie Holcomb’s testimony and song, The Broken Beautiful.

Day 2 – Psalm 51:10-12

Day 3 – Psalm 34:17-19

Day 4 – Psalm 147:3

Day 5 – 2 Corinthians 4:6-10

 

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Watermelon for Life

The following devotion was inspired by excerpts taken from a sermon preached by my husband entitled Released (7/2/17).

Reading for today: John 12:23-24

The Bible uses the image of a seed to describe a lot of things. For example, the seeds in the parable of the sower is the Word of God (Mt 13). In the parable of the weeds, the seeds are the followers of God (Mt 13). Jesus compares faith and the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed (Mt 17 and 13). And in the book of John, Jesus refers to himself as the wheat seed that must die in order to produce a great harvest.

When we talk about seeds sometimes we refer to them as being dead or alive, that is how we describe their potential for growth. When we use the terms dead or alive, we are actually talking about whether or not those seeds are viable.

Take for example the average American watermelon. One healthy watermelon can produce 200 to 800 new seeds. In other words, one viable watermelon seed has the potential to sprout and grow and bear fruit for 200 to 800 more watermelons!

The truth, though, is that in the process of sprouting, a watermelon seed (like any other seed) must “die” or sacrifice itself, in order to become a fruit-bearing plant.

During the last week of Jesus’s life, he explains to the disciples the importance of his upcoming death by comparing himself to a wheat seed. He says in John, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Jesus was the ultimate viable seed. He produced a harvest of many seeds. Through his death and resurrection, he forever shed the binding shell of sin and death, releasing us to also be viable seeds for the kingdom of God. We are not only the fresh produce of Christ’s bountiful harvest, but we are also the viable seeds, ready to bear fruit for God.

This week lets read through those references to seed and learn more about our spiritual growing process.

Dear God, Thank you for planting the seeds of faith and Your Word into me. Lord, make me viable for your kingdom. Show me who I can care for today. Amen.

Day 2 – Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23 (Parable of the sower)

Day 3 – Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43 (Parable of the weeds)

Day 4 – Matthew 13:31-32 (Parable of the mustard seed)

Day 5 – Matthew 17:14-21 (Faith like a mustard seed)

 

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