Scripture to Read: John 8:10
The Pharisees had left, but as far as we know, the crowd that Jesus had been teaching was still sitting there. All of them had watched, listened, and learned from everything that had taken place. When reading Scripture, we sometimes move so quickly through it that we forget about people, places, and things that God has mentioned because we get caught up in the most current thing we’re reading. The reason we need to remember the crowd that Jesus had been teaching is that, no doubt, all of them had sins in their lives that they knew they were guilty of. They needed to experience the forgiveness that Jesus was about to offer this lady who had been brought to Him by the Pharisees. We read in John 8:10, Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” Jesus did not condemn the woman but asked her where her accusers were. He also asked her if anyone was still there to condemn her. As Christians, there are times when the spiritual forces of wickedness remind us of our past sins. Satan and the demons love it when we struggle with guilt and shame. But our Lord does not lay on us guilt and shame. He convicts us when we sin so that we are broken over our sin, but then He reminds us that our Heavenly Father has “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). We walk in freedom because we’re now His children!
Challenge & Application
• Why is it important to pay attention to even the most minor details in God’s Word when reading and studying it?
• How did God encourage you today through this devotion?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!