Not too long ago as I was doing my Monday cleaning and stumbled upon a horrifying discovery. I make it my aim to do maintenance chores each day of the week - laundry, dishes, spot cleaning, straightening, etc. but Mondays and Fridays are the days I actually clean the house with purpose. This particular Monday I was just getting ramped up when I opened the coat closet to retrieve the vacuum and decided to hang up a coat that had been strewn on the floor for at least a month. Underneath I found a sweater that had a brown stain the size of a large rodent on the front. I almost expected something to go scampering off from underneath when I picked it up, like a scene from a bad movie. Immediately, I felt embarrassment creep into my cheeks. What kind of a housekeeper allows a stained sweater, knowingly or unknowingly, to lie around in the floor for over a month?
This morning I am in John 3:1-18, which contains the very familiar John 3:16. This verse is part of the answer Jesus gives a seeker who wants to know more about Jesus. However, what follows is my focus today.
- Verse 17 explains that Jesus was sent to save the world, not condemn it
- Verse 18 reiterates that those who believe in Jesus are not condemned
Condemn - Just the sound of the word is ominous and even a bit frightening. Yet I am not condemned, so why is it that the person I have the most difficulty extending grace to is so often myself? The opposite of condemnation is freedom and freedom is exactly what Jesus died to give me - freedom from the penalty of sin, freedom from the living without power in my life and freedom from condemnation.
When I find a horribly stained sweater in the floor...I am not condemned!
When I forget a friend's birthday...I am not condemned!
When I arrive 30 minutes late to an appointment...I am not condemned!
When I lose it in front of my kids...I am not condemned!
When I don't live up to my own expectations...I am not condemned!
Jesus, today may I live truly free, extending your amazing grace to all those I come in contact with, including and maybe even especially myself.
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