March 11, 2010 The Costs 4

"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. What a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. The sun is up and bright with big puffy white clouds in the sky. It is just beautiful!!

Today is Family day on this line and I would like you to add "grandma" to your prayer list. This is Billie Joe's grandmother, and she fell going to the mailbox and broke some bones. Don't know how many, but I am told at least some ribs and a shoulder. We also need to pray for Billie Joe's family as she takes care of both her mother who is in very bad health and her grandmother.

The Costs: John 8:3 - 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? ----- 8:7 "Jesus said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ----- 8:10 Jesus 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." (NIV)

Please take time to read the complete account of this found in John 8: 1/11. I did skip around but wanted to point this scripture out to all of you on this day. Why? Well, first and foremost, this is what God laid on my heart for this morning after I prayed with Dolores for the message. Well how does this really fit into the cost of walking with Jesus? So I ask this question to you today, as we look at others and often feel we should condemn some, who of us is really without sin? I would like anyone to write to me and tell me that they would want their personal closet to be opened. By your personal closet I mean your past. You know sometimes I think I would like to run for office, maybe even go to Washington to tell those folks how I feel and show them how to run this country, and run it UNDER GOD, as it should be run. But surely my closet door would be opened for those who knew me from years and years and years ago would come out running, I knew him when, and the stories would flow, some true and some stretched. So folks, maybe I should point it out the way Jesus tells it... "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." But let me put it in my words today. If any one of you has a clean closet, then cast the first stone at whom you are condemning.

If we are truly following Jesus we need to forgive those others and not bring up their past. I truly think that one of the places, or let me give you two, places that might be very hard for the stones fly almost daily, are in offices, followed by people who might work split shifts where they get together for breakfast after the morning shift or before the afternoon shift. They gather over bacon, eggs, and home fries, but the main menu is talking about others. Folks, do not gossip, which is, by the way, throwing stones. It is one of the costs of following Jesus, we must put away our stones, oh and by the way, you can stone someone more with your mouth than with a real stone. Do you know that things like this, this talking about others, casting stones, etc., has broken homes, broken families, and even divided churches? In fact, back stabbing, or stone throwing as Jesus put it, goes on all the time in some churches and in offices it goes on and on.

Ok, here comes the hard part. First of all, all of us could have been in the shoes of that woman, not maybe the same sin, but after all a sin is a sin. And don't you wonder here in this account from the Bible that the man was going to get away with his part? After all what that lady did, did require a man, did it not? But again, I challenge you this day if someone is throwing stones at you for something you did or something THEY THINK YOU DID, do NOT throw stones back. Instead take the lesson from Jesus and forgive them. You will be the bigger person and they will learn from it.

In closing the message for today, I again say it is tough walking with Jesus, there are costs. This week we are just touching on a very few of them. Tomorrow a deeper look at some of the rewards.

Oh, by the way, the story from Doug Boyer yesterday on his healing. I spent the better part of the morning with him loading food into our ministry vehicle for our food bank. You should have seen this man carrying out the boxes. GOD IS GOOD... SOME ONE PLEASE SAY AMEN, BESIDE ME.

Dear Father in Heaven, I want to walk with You today and everyday, and I ask this day that You go into offices, into work places, and that You plant on the hearts of those who need it that they should not throw stones. Lord, sometimes stones are thrown because some work harder than others to do a good job and the others get upset and cast stones. To me it is near the same thing. Bless families this day, Lord, and work sites and those there become like families. I call them work families. We, Lord, are all brothers and sisters because we are children of the King, bless us this day and teach us to lay down the stones for all of us need forgiven of our sins... please do that now, Lord, as I ask in the name of Jesus and Lord in the name of Jesus heal those on our prayer lists of today and days gone by... Thanks Lord. Thanks Lord... Amen.

Go forth now sharing your blessings and not throwing stones... Love ya, Pastor Dan.

Carry The Light Ministries
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Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050
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