"Labels"

John 8:10 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?”

I have been living for over half a century!  Wow, that sounds old.  I have never met anyone in my life who has never done something wrong, never committed a sin or never made a mistake.  We all find ourselves in places of failure and disappointment.  The bible tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”.  This simply means that you and I don’t measure up to God’s standard.  That is why Jesus came to this earth.  He is God’s standard.  While I can’t be Jesus, He lives in me and by His grace I am found in right standing with God.

Life is full of people who want to define you, your life and your future by the actions of your past.  These folks who want to label you fail to remember that they too have a past with failures, sins and mistakes.

The people in John 8 brought a woman to Jesus that was caught in adultery….the law commanded that she be stoned(v.4-5).  For a moment Jesus simply ignored them, then He looked up at them and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” and He began writing on the ground.  We are told that they left from the oldest to the last being convicted by their conscience.

We should never let others define who we are, never let others define your life, never let others define your future.  When Jesus looked up all those who were trying to define this woman were gone.  He asked her if anyone had condemned her.  She said, “no one Lord” and Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The action of Jesus to forgive and hold no condemnation was life changing.  He didn’t excuse her sin, nor did he discuss it, He forgave her sin and told her to go and sin no more.  What he was saying to her then and to us today is He won’t hold our past against us if we will come to Him and walk with Him from this moment forward.

Will you walk in the label’s others have placed on you? Or will you allow your new life in Christ to define your present and future?  

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for the forgiveness of sin, that You don’t remember our past mistakes.  We thank you for a new life each day in Christ Jesus. Amen.