Posts Tagged ‘woman’

Let the person who has not sinned cast the first stone

Monday, April 29th, 2013

Forgiven, April 29

Now early in the morning (Jesus) came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
“Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then 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, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

John 8:2-11, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You teach us much in these verses. We pray for wisdom and discernment in understanding. You, again, cite, “early in the morning” as the time You went to the Temple to pray and teach. Prime time with the Father seems to be “early in the morning”.

Then You teach us that the scribes (lawyers) and Pharisees (religious leaders) are in the role of accusers. You did not say they accused falsely, Jesus, You said they too commit sins of various kinds and if any of them thought they were without sin, then step up and cast the first stone in the killing process.

You then teach us that everyone has a conscience that either accuses them or excuses them and that we personally know when we have sinned whether other people know it or not.

Then, in Your mercy, you teach us that adultery is not a sin unto death if one confesses and repents (changes direction). You forgive the woman and you encourage her. O’ God, if we could but have that kind of mercy and hope when we see sin in action. Help us today to be part of the healing process, not one of those who accuse. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Conscience, Fidelity, Forgiven, Hope, Providence of God | 8 Comments »

It is never my fault. This time it was Eve!

Friday, April 26th, 2013

Temptation, April 26

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
”but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
”For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Genesis 3:1-7, www.solascriptura.com

Father, thank You for sharing this account of “original sin”. Some blame Eve for enticing her husband Adam to eat and some say Adam was responsible for being obedient, enticement or not.

You have taught us that it is from this point forward that all men are guilty of sin, born of the flesh; none, no not one, is perfect. You have taught us that it is only in Jesus’ perfect atonement that our sins are forgiven and our spirit is witnessed to by Your Spirit. Yes Father, we are no longer in the Garden of Eden, but You have told us of Your plan to restore the Garden of Eden, in heaven.

We now realize our sinful state and our need for redemption from our sin. If we have confessed our sin with a humble and contrite heart, and have asked You for forgiveness and cleansing, by the grace of God, salvation is promised. It is by Your grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, that we are saved.

Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we need never lose the battle to sin again although perfection remains ahead of us. We seek to apprehend perfection but we find it is a race, all the way to the end. You remind us that is critical that we “finish well”. We pray for Your strength in us, constantly. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Law of God, Perseverance, Satan | 8 Comments »

Marriage, a trial, a test or a committment?

Saturday, January 12th, 2013

Marriage, January 12
 
And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:18, Genesis 21-25, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we live now in a time that largely ignores what You have just taught us. We seem to fail to recognize the essence of marriage and your intended purpose. Forgive us Father for our past mistakes when we failed to grasp Your will for us. You have taught us in many places that you hate divorce, You desire children to be blessed by marriages of like minded persons who worship You and love You and to produce children that are sanctified by a marriage in which we are committed, for a lifetime, to serve You.

In these times, we largely fail to follow Your guidance regarding marriage and the sanctification of our children. We know, Father, that you forgave some of Your saints, including David, for indiscretions. Therefore we do not wonder whether You will forgive us.

It is not simply forgiveness that we desire, but we want to set out on a path of love and obedience that conforms to Your expectations. Many of us have failed to meet Your expectations but since we understand that You delight in forgiving us, we now declare that is our will to do Your will.

We want, Father, to fully understand and commit ourselves to the view that two persons, fully committed to serving You, and each other, become as one flesh. That bond, we declare faithfully, will help us be more forgiving and more tolerant of each other’s mistakes and weaknesses than is typical in our times. We see that is Your perfect will for us.

Our mistakes are forever with us, and they seem insurmountable at times, but we thank You God that our sins, once expressed, are not only forgiven, but they are separated from us as far as the east is from the west, never to remembered against us again. Such mercy exceeds our experience among men. We thank You Jesus for your unselfish sacrifice, covering our sins, forever. Amen

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Fidelity, Perseverance | 66 Comments »