The judge and the man condemned - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

We ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, he saved us.
Titus 3:3-5.

The judge and the man condemned
Charles Colson (1931-2012), who was a former counsellor of President Nixon, was implicated in the Watergate affair and imprisoned for several months. When he became a Christian, he devoted his time to evangelising in American prisons.

Benevolent visitors often joined his group, "Prison Friendships", to bring the gospel to prisoners. After one of these visits, passing the check point at the exit, Colson discovered that one of the visitors, Judge Clement, had not followed the group. Displeased, he went back and found him in the cell of the prisoner James Brewer.

"Just a minute, ‘" the visitor said to Colson, "This is important. You know, I was the judge who sentenced James to the maximum penalty. But he is now my brother, and we need a moment to pray together."

"I was thunderstruck on the threshold of that cell," Colson reported. "Before me were two men, one with power, the other without any, one white, one black, the first had sentenced the second."

Everywhere except in the kingdom of God that prisoner would have been about to attack the one who had sent him to that cell. But there they were in agreement, their faces reflected an extraordinary expression of happiness, as they prayed together.

Leaving the prison, Judge Clement, very moved, explained that he had prayed for Brewer every day since sentencing him four years previously.

Today's reading: 1 Chronicles 19:1-20:8 · Psalms 89:39-52