On Wednesday morning we read the story of Jesus and the woman “caught” in adultery (John 8:1-11).  Please take a few minutes and read it before you continue.  And, as you read it consider your answers to these questions and record them in your journal:

Who do you relate to most in this story?  Why?

What is the purpose of the “Law” in our lives?

Well, many of us agreed that the woman in the story (the adulterer) represents all of us.  We are all sinners; no one is perfect, only God.  And, it is a reminder that before we go around condemning others for their sins, we need to look at ourselves, because in God’s eyes, all sin is the same.  An adulterer’s sin is not any greater than someone who cheats and lies in business or someone who views pornography.  In other words, it doesn’t matter which commandment you break, they are all sins and they hurt the One who loves us.  The grace that Jesus showed this woman is the same grace He shows us every minute of every day.  And, when we repent, Jesus commands us to go and sin no more (that is the key – we must go to Jesus and repent).  What I find interesting in this story is that Jesus tells the woman He does not condemn her but He does not tell her she is forgiven.  If you have some thoughts on that please write me; I’d like to hear them.

To the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, the Law represented the truth.  But Jesus turned the tables on them.  He showed them they were no better in God’s eyes than this woman.  The truth was, they were all sinners.  None of them was capable of judging the woman; judgment is up to God, not us.  We learned last Wednesday that the Law shows us the need for a Savior. Without Jesus we all fall short of the Law and none of us would make it to heaven. Have you thought about where you are on the grace/truth scale in your relationships?  Many of us are slanted toward one or the other.  Of course, Jesus was the perfect balance of grace and truth.  Who gives the grace in your relationship and who is the person of truth?  I know I am a man of truth.  It is difficult for me to show grace; I want to ram truth down your throat.  But, to counteract that, to temper my truth, God introduced me to Cynthia. If you saw my email last week you remember the grace Cynthia showed me.  By pairing me with Cynthia God is showing the grace given to me.  And, if you’ve gone on to the Uberlumen website (www.uberlumen.com) and listened to my testimony you know I do not deserve a woman of Cynthia’s caliber.  Kind of like how we do not deserve the grace, mercy and forgiveness God gives us.  God sure is good, isn’t He?.

The post Men’s Group: John 8:1-11 February 18, 2009 appeared first on LAWSON COACHING & CONSULTING.