Then neither do I

John 8:^{3-11 "}The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus is asking again, “Woman, where are they?”

This question is directed at you. Like the woman in John 8, the freedom you seek is woven in what you see and say. So, look around you again and answer Jesus. “Woman, where are they?”

The Book, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, tells the tales of Eve. It extends these tales to our present lives and how we have chosen to inherit the deception that once cost Eve and her seeds. One of such lies is to believe that God doesn't love “me”; the “you” in quote. “He may love the world. He may love someone else, but he doesn't necessary loves me”. We silently remind ourselves of this lie.

I lived in this deception for a very long time. 

I always believed that Jesus had favourites and wouldn’t forgive momentarily, even when I asked for it.  Christ loved only those who attended everyday church services. Christ loved the children who surrendered their lives before I did.  Christ loved my pastor, my colleagues, my family but not necessarily me. A turning point came to me one evening when I realized that Christ loved me, even before, it ever crossed my mind. Jeremiah 31:3 reminds us that, “The LORD has appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.” 

It reminded me that God does not love me because I loved Him, not because I seek to please Him, not because I blog, nor is it base on anything I have done, or ever could do for Him. It is not based on my performance or what I deserve and would never need to earn. The scripture says over and over that when I was His enemy, He loved me. In spite of my alienation from Him, He loved me and sent His son to die for me. He loved me in eternity past. He will love me for all of eternity future. There is nothing I could do to make Him love me less or anything I could do to make Him love me more. I could please Him more, but there is no such thing as increasing love because He is the entirety of love—the steadfast love. So step out of the self-pity, deception, guilt and pain of past mistakes and embrace God's Love. If God has not condemned you and has given you one more day of grace or more moment to breathe for a second, neither should you condemn yourself. No one stands to condemn you. None on earth, none in heaven stands to judge you, if the Lord has not. 

Love 

Olumamitomisin