And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)
Yes, the verses 1 through 11 are very key to sin and forgiveness, but this one stands out for me as I sit here and write. Yesterday's sermon touched on every verse but the testimony of a young, paraplegic before it, spoke volumes! From his wheel chair, in his slow, distinctive voice, the Lord God spoke directly to the congregation. His words were about a conversation that took place the day of his birth, as he was pronounced dead. The conversation was between Satan and God. Satan told God that "this one would never sing His praises, never worship or shout hallelujah, never offer testimony to anyone". God's response was "oh, yeah, let's just wait and see". Needless to say, I was humbled in the presence of God at that moment!
The preacher was visiting (as is what always seems to happen to me when I go to a different church). His words were very clear and to the point. There was no fire and brimstone, no damnation for all eternity - there was love - the love of God! He spoke about those who try to do everything..."you cannot be all thing to everything" (in other words, let God lead you to what it is HE wants you to do).
He also took us to Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Yes! He was already intimate with us before we were conceived, before we were born, before sin touched our lives. If we could just let go and just praise Him, how joyous that feeling would be. But we've become obsessed with appearances and pier pressure. We've become more interested in the new baby over in England (a Royal) than we have with our very own, personal royalty! Yes! We, too, are royalty! We are the sons and daughters of the KING!
He left us with one, very important thought to ponder: "Sound travels at 1126 feet per second; our faith needs to catch up!"
I'm sure I could have stretched this out with a week's worth of posts, but the spirit of God was awakened again and I wanted to share it all with you! He'll give me something to write about tomorrow - I have no doubt!
May God's grace and mercy carry you through the day! May He bless you as only He can! May He give you the courage to get out of the way of danger, but not out of the way of duty! Lift your hands in praise to the Father who created you, to the Son who redeemed you and to the Holy Spirit who enlightens you!
