Check You First
“…But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 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.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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.” - John 8:6-9
We have all reached a point where we have wanted to resign or step away from some organization, relationship, or job due to dissatisfaction and discouragement.
All around us, people are becoming increasingly discouraged by the treatment at work, by the direction of their social groups, and many even by the lack of fulfillment in their relationships. And rather than staying there and toughing it out, many are just quitting. This not only happens in the secular world, but in the church as well.
It’s not that they don’t esteem, value, or have a regard for the church, but they are tired of the hypocrisy, the mismanagement, the scandals, the blatant contradictions, and so more and more people are “resigning” from the church. They don’t want to be a part of it anymore.
In today’s key Scripture passage, Jesus challenged each of the men condemning the woman caught in adultery. They wanted to stone her for her sin, so Jesus said that the one among them without sin could be the first to throw a stone. These men knew immediately they couldn’t throw a stone, because even though they were highly religious figures, they weren’t perfect. They weren’t without sin. And in that moment when Jesus challenged them, they were forced to check themselves before they continued to point fingers at another sinner.
When was the last time you did a self-evaluation of your own life? You are not responsible for everyone’s actions, but you are responsible for how you treat others. Are you judgmental or empathetic? Do you jump to conclusions or are you willing to be listening ear?
As believers we should strive to be like Jesus more than anything else. This should attract others to the church, not turn them away. So before judging another person’s life, think back to the times that God has given you grace and mercy.
We have all reached a point where we have wanted to resign or step away from some organization, relationship, or job due to dissatisfaction and discouragement.
All around us, people are becoming increasingly discouraged by the treatment at work, by the direction of their social groups, and many even by the lack of fulfillment in their relationships. And rather than staying there and toughing it out, many are just quitting. This not only happens in the secular world, but in the church as well.
It’s not that they don’t esteem, value, or have a regard for the church, but they are tired of the hypocrisy, the mismanagement, the scandals, the blatant contradictions, and so more and more people are “resigning” from the church. They don’t want to be a part of it anymore.
In today’s key Scripture passage, Jesus challenged each of the men condemning the woman caught in adultery. They wanted to stone her for her sin, so Jesus said that the one among them without sin could be the first to throw a stone. These men knew immediately they couldn’t throw a stone, because even though they were highly religious figures, they weren’t perfect. They weren’t without sin. And in that moment when Jesus challenged them, they were forced to check themselves before they continued to point fingers at another sinner.
When was the last time you did a self-evaluation of your own life? You are not responsible for everyone’s actions, but you are responsible for how you treat others. Are you judgmental or empathetic? Do you jump to conclusions or are you willing to be listening ear?
As believers we should strive to be like Jesus more than anything else. This should attract others to the church, not turn them away. So before judging another person’s life, think back to the times that God has given you grace and mercy.
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2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
When Faith Blocks the ViewThe Cost of Carrying the CrossPower Was Never the PointGod Meets You Where You AreFaith That Chooses People Over ProfitWhen the Cross Loses Its MeaningClearing the View So Christ Can Be SeenWhen Worry Becomes a Way of LifeGod Is Not Surprised by Bad LeadershipWhen God Writes on the WallGod Controls the ClockGod Is Watching the ScaleWhen God Writes the EndingYou Do Not Have to Carry This AloneWhen Life Feels Like a JungleWhat You Are Leaning On MattersPeace Comes From the InsideRemember What God Has Already DoneProtecting Your Peace on PurposeWhen You Have to Say It Out LoudTrust Is a Long GameWhen Joy Breaks ContainmentGod Shows Up in Hard SeasonsKeep Moving When Everything Says StopGet Ready for What You Are Praying ForFaith That Is Willing to WorkWorship Is How We Acknowledge God’s HandDarkness Does Not Decide the Outcome
March
The Foundation Of JusticeEyes Wide OpenThe Heart Of CompassionLiving The BeatitudesThe Power Of CommunityBreaking Chains Of DebtCelebrating Small VictoriesThe Widow's Offering ReimaginedThe Good Samaritan's EconomicsTurning TablesThe Rich Young Ruler's ChoiceStrength In UnityThe Parable Of The WorkersBreaking Bread TogetherThe Prophetic VoiceLove In ActionThe Least Of TheseSabbath JusticeThe Persistent WidowWelcoming The StrangerThe Year Of JubileeFaith Without WorksBuilding On RockThe Mission ContinuesInvesting In EternitySeeds Of FaithLiving In The Shadow Of The CrossCounting The True CostJustice Flows Like WaterThe Strength Of Community
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