April 6, 2025: When Jesus Stoops to Lift Us Up

A woman I once met through a church outreach—we’ll call her Anjali—shared her story with me over tea. She had made some painful choices in her youth, the kind that left her feeling too ashamed to walk into a church.

“I thought God was done with me,” she said. “I didn’t even want to pray anymore. I believed I had blown all my chances. But one night, in tears, I just whispered, ‘Jesus, I’m sorry.’ I didn’t expect forgiveness. I just wanted to be heard.”

And that night, she felt something she hadn’t felt in years—peace. It wasn’t thunder or lightning. Just a whisper in her spirit: “You’re still mine.”

That was her turning point. Not perfection, but restoration. Grace had found her in her lowest moment.

A Woman Caught, A Crowd Ready to Condemn

In John 8, we meet a woman who was also sure her story was over.

Dragged out by the religious leaders, caught “in the very act” of adultery, she is thrown at Jesus’ feet. The crowd, stones in hand, demands justice. They quote the Law of Moses. They dare Jesus to respond.

But instead of speaking, Jesus stoops down and writes in the dirt.

Imagine the silence. The tension. The shame in her heart.

And then, His words echo across the courtyard:

“Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (v.7)

One by one, the accusers leave.

Jesus looks at the woman—not with disgust, but with compassion.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (vv.10–11)

Grace Meets Truth

Jesus didn’t excuse her sin. But He didn’t shame her either. He offered something the world rarely does: a fresh start.

He said, “Neither do I condemn you”—grace.
Then He said, “Go and sin no more”—truth.

That is the heartbeat of the Gospel. Not condemnation, but transformation. Jesus lifts us out of shame so we can walk in freedom.

Encouragement for You

• Do you feel like you’ve gone too far to be forgiven?
• Have you made a mistake that still haunts you?
• Are you weighed down by guilt others won’t let you forget?

Hear Jesus today:

“Neither do I condemn you.”
He’s not waiting to punish you—He’s waiting to restore you.

But He doesn’t stop at forgiveness. He empowers you to live differently:

“Go, and sin no more.”

You are not your past. In Jesus, you are made new.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for stooping down into the dirt of my life, for defending me when I deserved judgment, and for loving me when I couldn’t love myself. Help me to receive Your grace and walk in Your truth. I want to live in the freedom You died to give me. Amen.

✨ Grace doesn't overlook your sin—it overcomes it.
If this spoke to your heart, share it with someone who needs a reminder: There is no condemnation in Christ—only healing and hope.