March 13 I Saturday

Deuteronomy 19-21

Mark 13:21-37

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  —John 8:12

The woman caught in adultery was as good as condemned. She had been caught in the act, and the Law of Moses clearly stated the penalty for adultery was death. She likely expected not to survive the day, but when Jesus said anyone without sin should cast the first stone, all her accusers left one by one. When only Jesus and the woman remained, He asked, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:10-11). What is going on here? Has Jesus grown soft or become liberal? Not at all. His mission was to save the world, not to condemn the world.

       In the very next verse, Jesus declares Himself to be the light of the world, the light of life, who shines truth into our hearts. Sins hidden in the dark have no boundaries to contain them, and unless they are brought into the light, they will only expand. God does not expose our sin to rub our noses in it, but to liberate, cleanse and empower us. We must never allow ourselves to be content with anything that would not survive being exposed to the light because this hinders our relationship with God.

       We can only start to deal with sin when we confess it. It is important we develop relationships with people to whom we feel safe confessing our secret sins and who will keep us accountable, but we find freedom from the power of sin by confessing to God. John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The woman caught in adultery did not make excuses when her sin was brought into the light. She knew what she did was wrong, but Christ forgave her and equipped her for life by dealing with her past, “Neither do I condemn you,” and her future, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

       Christ is the light of life who exposes sin in our hearts, and we are to “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). Walking indicates there is a progression where we grow in knowledge of God, intimacy with Him and dependence on Him. The Christian life is never static. If we are not walking forward, we will inevitably slide back, but as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with God, which is the nature and purpose of the Christian life.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for exposing sin in my heart so I can be forgiven and made clean. As I walk in the light of life, may I be drawn deeper into fellowship with You. In Jesus’s name.