Daily Devotional for November 16, 2018
Fair Trial
Eliana looked up when she heard her mother sigh. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
Mom sat down at the table. “I’m very confused by the testimony I heard in court today.”
“Tell us about your jury duty, Mom,” Eliana said. “Maybe we can help you.”
“No, I can’t do that,” Mom answered wearily. “When you’re a member of a jury, you’re not allowed to discuss the case until it’s over.”
Dad nodded. “In America, a person has the right to a trial by jury. That means other American citizens are chosen to hear the evidence and decide whether or not the person accused of a crime is guilty. Their final decision is to be based solely on the evidence given in court.”
“That’s right,” said Mom, “and it’s one reason why jury members are not allowed to talk about the case. Other people haven’t heard all the evidence and might offer information they think is true, but it may not be correct or relevant to the case. Then someone else’s opinion might sway a jury member’s thinking, and their decision could be based on wrong information.”
Finally, the case was decided, and Mom was free to explain why the jury ruled the person on trial had not been guilty of stealing. “I learned a lot about trials and courtrooms that I didn’t know before,” Mom told them. “It also made me appreciate God in a new way.”
“Why is that?” asked Eliana.
“Well, I believe all of us on the jury wanted to be fair and make the right decision, but it was quite a while before we were all able to agree on some of the issues.”
“But what does that have to do with God?” Eliana asked.
“It made me realize that no matter how fair we try to be, we’re still human,” Mom replied. “Only God is all-wise and completely fair, and He’s the Judge of all the earth. All of us will have to stand before Him someday, and we’re all guilty of sin and deserve to be punished. That’s why I’m so glad God sent His Son, Jesus, to take our punishment by dying on the cross. When we trust in Him, God shows us mercy and declares us not guilty.” – Linda M. Weddle
How about you?
Have you watched court trials on TV? Even though they usually try their best, judges and jury members can’t always know whether someone is guilty. Only God is all-knowing and completely fair. He knows we’re all guilty of sin, but Jesus took the punishment for our sins so we could be shown mercy. Trust Him to save you from the punishment you deserve. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)
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