Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 18:30

John 18:30 “They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." If you remember, as Pilate began his investigation into Jesus’ case, he asked, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" This question was not unexpected by Caiaphas and crowd. An agreement had already been arranged between Pilate and Caiaphas to execute Jesus as quickly as possible. So someone gave what they thought would be a sufficient, bottom-line answer. In short, “This man deserves to die or we wouldn’t be here.” Before we pass judgement on these guys, it might be helpful and wise for us to ask ourselves. “Have we ever judged someone without hearing the evidence or hearing their view of things?” It’s impossible to love with Jesus when we are sitting in the judgment seat. These people falsely accused Jesus of being an evil-doer merely because He didn’t affirm them and tow the party line. Have we ever done that to someone? My live to love encouragement today is to repent of such pride and judgment and purpose not to condemn others, but instead love them. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com