Seeds of the Kingdom 29 January 2022
Topic: Loving The Person, Hating Their Choices.
Scripture: Straightening up, Jesus said to her [the woman caught in adultery], “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” John 8:10-11, NASB
Discrimination is a word in common use these days. It is generally assumed that hating someone’s life choices must mean that we hate them. But this couldn’t be further from the truth of how Jesus acted as He walked on the earth.
The accusers of the woman caught in the act of adultery were ready to stone her to death until Jesus pointed out that their own sin would merit similar justice. They all disappeared, unable to respond to the truth of His words. He shows extraordinary love and kindness towards the woman, wonderfully releasing her from the spiritual consequence of her actions while, at the same time, making it very clear that these had been sinful and damaging choices.
As we look today at the ungodly lifestyles and choices made by so many people, it’s clear that they are causing severe harm to themselves and to those around them. The world says that freedom is the ability to act in accordance with our feelings. God says that true freedom is the result of acting in accordance with His laws, for this will bring the peace that we all seek deep inside.
For followers of Jesus, we need to stand firm in graciously challenging the life choices that we see damaging many lives, while always challenging ourselves to be sure that we are speaking from a position of unconditional love and not veiled condemnation.
PRAYER: Father God, Jesus was able to speak of the sin in people’s lives in a perfect way. Purify my heart, so that I can increasingly speak truth from that same position of unconditional love. Amen.
