John 8 - Grace 

I read the story of the woman caught in adultery again this morning. Jesus words are speaking loudly to me this morning;

“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”” ‭‭ - John‬ ‭8:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Pharisees and religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus, and He responded with these words; ...let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!

I am not proud of the judgment I case or the mental stones that I throw when something falls outside of my view or opinion. Judgment, such a horrible place to camp out and live. 

We don’t know what Jesus was writing in the sand and dust.

“Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭8:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

May this be a visual, Jesus humbling himself by stooping down before us and he is quietly and gently writing all the ways we have fallen short, messed up, and sinned...and he is then crossing them out, and filling in the space with forgiveness and that he loves us. 

It’s relatively easy to be the one that wants or does throw the stone, and yet forgets we could be on the other side of that stone on a daily basis. Lord, help me today to not pick up a stone but to pick up love and grace just as Jesus did. Lord, I am so thankful that you cast no stones at me, and your grace is sufficient for all my flaws.