Heart of Hope

“When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, ‘The one without sin among you should be the first one to throw a stone at her’” (John 8:7).

Christianity is often nauseating to people who don’t understand it. The world looks at Christianity and it sees nothing but rules—rules about what they can and can’t do. As a result, many people, unfortunately, see Christianity as a group of hypocrites. We’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s because the enemy has done everything he can to misconstrue the truth.

In our last devotion, we discussed how in the days of the early church, Rome changed from despising Christians to legalizing Christianity. The church loved the outcasts when no one else would, and they took care of those afflicted by disease and sickness at the risk of their own health and safety. How do we show this kind of love today? How can we show this level of grace, goodness, and mercy in our everyday lives?

The enemy will cut no corners to manipulate the world’s view of Christianity and God; therefore, we must love radically to show people the true nature of God. Our values are everything—our morals are everything. Our lives make people hungry for the Spirit of God. What draws people in? What makes them look at what’s in your heart and think, “I want whatever they’ve got?”

We have hope. Not just circumstantial hope that’s contingent on a change in circumstances, but a hope that reaches past circumstantial change and gets right in your heart.

As Christians, we don’t want to be known as the people who only talk about sin. We don’t want to be labeled as “judgmental,” but you can’t talk about grace without talking about sin. In the book of John, we read about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, and her accusers were ready to stone her.

And then Jesus steps in. He doesn’t dismiss her sin—He confronts her with the truth, deals with the sin, and shows her grace, telling her to go and sin no more.

We can’t talk about grace without talking about sin. We are not a people who pick up stones and condemn people. No, we are people who call the darkness what it is and deliver the hope of new life. We talk about sin, but we talk about it with the knowledge that condemnation is not the heart of God.

This is what makes people yearn and hunger for the Spirit that’s in us—this is what makes people want what’s in your heart. It’s not about being right, it’s about the hope of your righteousness.