Drop the Hammer | Crosstraining 6.8.15

John 8:1-10 When I was around 10 years old or so, I ran away from home one weekend when my sister and I were at my dad’s house who lived in South Ashland. I decided that I was going to walk home to my mom’s house. The problem was that my mom lived in Ohio. I walked for a couple of hours, crossed the Ashland bridge, and was strolling down the side of U.S. 52 when a policeman pulled over and asked where I was going. I was still a long way from home, so I told him I was going to my grandparent’s just a few blocks away. The cop picked me up and dropped me off there. Imagine my grandpa’s surprise when a cop dropped his 10 year old grandson off at his house out of the blue. I remember getting home that night expecting my mom to absolutely drop the hammer down on me. I thought I would be grounded for months. Instead, for whatever reason, I was only grounded from using the phone for one week…and I didn’t even use the phone! I imagine my relief of not being grounded for the rest of my life was similar to the relief that the woman who was caught in adultery felt by the end of this story. There was a mob of people ready to punish her by putting her to death. As she stood in front of Jesus, she was sure that the hammer was about to drop right on her just as I was with my mom. Instead, Jesus puts all the men there condemning her to shame as they walked away one by one. She had been guilty. She was caught red handed. But, Jesus forgave her anyway, and she was able to live. We’re all guilty of sin. We’ve all messed up, and none of us deserve the love and mercy that God has given us through Jesus. However, God still offers it to us anyway. While we deserve the worst of punishments, the only one who can truly condemn us has chosen not to as long as we accept His free gift of salvation by putting our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. The next time you find yourself feeling judged or condemning yourself, remember that you’ve been forgiven by God Himself. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: Do you find yourself often condemning yourself or allowing others to judge you? Why do you think it’s so hard to accept the fact that we have forgiveness in Christ? Pray: If there is unconfessed sin in your life, spend some time in prayer confessing that sin and asking God for forgiveness. Thank Him for His love, mercy and forgiveness. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: Romans 10]]>