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People Like Us

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”1—Jesus, to a woman’s accusers

We glean from the pages of Scripture much theology on the precious gift of grace, but the story of the woman caught in adultery is grace in action. Somehow catching her in the act of adultery, the Pharisees and teachers of the law brought her before Jesus, hoping to trick Him and perhaps kill two birds with one stone. His response to them was epic, confounding even—turning back on them the law by which they accused the woman, and in the process extending grace to both. We relate to the woman, for our sin places us equally in need of grace, and we run to Jesus where it is found. Such assurance! What relief! We will learn more from this woman in next week’s post, but for now let’s gain a life lesson from her antagonists.

How many times have you heard or said this: “Some people [insert a specific sin tendency here]”? In so doing, we speak of others as though looking down on them from a higher perch on a tree of righteousness. Wouldn’t it be humbler and more accurate to say, “Sometimes we all [insert a moral shortcoming here],” acknowledging in our speech what we know in our hearts—that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”?2 After all, who among us doesn’t sin? And if we all sin, why point only to that of “some people”? Have we forgotten the grace we received when we were otherwise helpless? Or what about this pronouncement: “I blame [so and so]”? Why so proudly condemn others when we have undeservedly received pardon?

Paul wrote that God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.”3 Our message is not one of accusation, but that of reconciliation through the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus. Then may I suggest that, when tempted to look down on those who are as vulnerable as we are, we remember both the power of temptation and the relief of grace? We’re in this together, so as we have received grace, let us ever extend it to people like us.

Father, thank You for precious grace. Where would we be without it? Fill us with Your Spirit, that we would extend compassion and understanding to all who journey this life with us. Bless us to be beacons of hope and proclaimers of mercy to people like us. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 John 8:7 ESV
2 Romans 6:23
3 2 Corinthians 5:18

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Big Lessons at Small Costs

Even before Matthew was born—while he was still in the womb—I would pray this prayer for him: that he would learn big lessons at small costs. Somehow this had been my life path, for which I’d been enormously grateful, and I wanted the same for him. Even though he is now in his 30s, I still pray on occasion that not only he but his entire family will know the blessing of big lessons at small costs. What might these small costs be? Let’s look.

The small cost of reading the Word. How many times have we seen everyday folks grounded in Scripture and guided by it, showing judgment far sounder than that of the academically erudite? As King David observed, “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”1

The small cost of listening for the Spirit. Isn’t it our natural tendency to react to temptations in our own human “wisdom” without seeking the Spirit of Him who has all knowledge and power? Jesus promised His followers, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”2 Stop and listen3—it is worth the wait.

The small cost of heeding instruction. Among Solomon’s proverbs of wisdom is this priceless gem: “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding . . . I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me . . . ’Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.’”4 We can avoid much pain and by heeding godly instruction from those who have already traversed the path we now walk.

The small cost of reproof. Rebuke and admonition can be painful to tender egos, but when given constructively and received honestly, strong reprimand from others can hold a positive and purposeful place in our lives, for “the ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.”5

The small cost of observation. Are you a people-watcher? Then you’ve likely witnessed the ripple effects of both the good and bad decisions of others. We can learn enormous life lessons simply by observing them and humbly taking them to heart. An excellent example is found in Proverbs 7:6-27.

The small cost of repentance. Repentance means to turn around and proceed in the opposite direction. After Jesus healed a man crippled for 38 years, He told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”6 This is what grace does—it frees us to change direction and walk in “the way that is good and right.”7

A cost is an expenditure of money, time, or resources. Then do you know what we call expenditures with a strong possibility of a return? We call them investments. This is what we desire: big lessons at small costs. May we and those who follow us invest wisely.

Father, You are good and You always want the best for us. Grace us that we would learn big lessons at small costs, that we would grow and live in Your wisdom. Amen.

1 Psalm 119:7
2 John 16:13 ESV
3 See our November 3, 2021 post for a guide and links to our series on hearing God and discerning the Spirit’s voice.
4 Proverbs 4:1-4
5 Proverbs 15:31
6 John 5:14 NLT
7 1 Samuel 12:23

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The Pharmacist and the Physician

True story. It was in a church committee meeting several years ago that we took time to seek the Spirit’s guidance on a matter through Scripture and prayer. When it came time to share our thoughts, a doctor on the committee looked at his scrawled notes and, a bit baffled, confessed, “I can’t read my own writing!” Seated next to him was one in the pharmaceutical profession. He calmly reached over, took the physician’s notepad, and said, “Here, let the pharmacist read it.” And he did! He read the doctor’s chicken scratch verbatim! Talk about perpetuating a stereotype!

The prophet Jeremiah once mused, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”1 We know of our sin, and some of it we know all too well—it has been too painful and discouraging for us not to. Just when we think we’ve seen the worst of it, however, or that we’ve overcome the most of it, we realize otherwise. For though our hearts are our own, we can neither entirely read them nor fully comprehend them. What temptations sneak up on you, for instance, and tantalize a hidden chamber of your soul? But God can search our hearts, and He does know our minds,2 and this is for our own good. Why? Because, as Paul writes, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit himself intercedes for us . . . in accordance with the will of God.”3 So also, through the Word of God, the Spirit God speaks understanding into the deepest reaches of our soul “to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.”4 He turns a tough diagnosis into a great prognosis.

There are times when we cannot read our own hearts, and there are other times when we choose not to for fear of what we will find. But like a physician, “the Lord looks at the heart”5 and like the pharmacist, he reveals it to us in a way we can absorb, understand and commence with our healing. We can entrust ourselves to God entirely, for He is all about our wellbeing.

Father, You love us perfectly. Forgive us when we are oblivious to our sin or when we are afraid to face it. Jesus has paid for all of our sin, so we are perfectly safe in facing any of it, knowing You are transforming us into something unimaginably better. Lead us in this confidence and joy today. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 Jeremiah 17:9
2 Jeremiah 17:10
3 Romans 8:26-27
4 2 Timothy 3:16 TLB
5 1 Samuel 16:7