“Neither do I condemn you“, Jesus is reported to have said (John 8:11). Now, this comes at the end of a segment that isn’t found in most of the earliest manuscripts. John 7:53-8:11 is placed at the end of the Gospel of John in the REB version. That notwithstanding, the principle is valid. In this case a woman has been caught in adultery and the religious want her condemned. Jesus lets her go free. Is there any wonder many didn’t want this story in the Bible? It’s GRACE not LAW!
With so many denominations, so many offices, and so much PRIDE in all that is there any wonder that we have problems with this “condemnation concept”? The minute anyone thinks that they are superior to someone else, they’ve entered into judgment and LAW is ready to lift it’s ugly head.
LAW leads to CONDEMNATION!
I sat at lunch all alone Friday and was pondering my peas when I looked up and saw three ladies in front of me, five to my left, and a young couple to my right. I need not go into what I saw other than to say that I had to tell my MIND to lay off, get back in the cave, and quit judging!
A peace came and I was flooded with good thoughts as a brief time of meditation came upon me. I don’t know how long I sat there after eating. I usually stuff-n-rush”, but the ability to kick condemnation from my thoughts was like a refreshing “pyschic bath” as Walter Starcke is prone to saying (about meditation).
When we start forming judgments about what is good and what is bad we are immediately back in the old Testament, and what’s worse about that is our inability to help anyone, through prayer or otherwise.
One gal had such bad eating habits: gross actually!
But, my judging her (even without verbalizing it) only kept more of the negative vibes darting her way and keeps her in her bondage or ignorance. Maybe I am paranoid; however, she had not looked my way once when I was in my “judging mode”, but once I freed her in my mind and had asked God’s mercy on her, she kept looking my way.
I swear it was so uncomfortable.
Loving people can do that to you! But, it can also FREE you as much as them and I’d also swear that the “good feeling hangover” is still with me. Once you TASTE (Psalms 34:8), you know the difference in a tough rib eye and a tender corn-fed filet mignon.
And a 1989 Mouton Rothschild from a Boone’s Farm “anything“.



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