A verse from today’s reading, Luke 7:47, is written in black Sharpie on a scrap piece of paper on my refrigerator from many years ago. In my best attempt at calligraphy, I scribbled it down one afternoon when I felt I needed the reminder. I don’t remember all the exact circumstances surrounding it when I scribed it, but I do remember the season.
I was in a place where my sin and reactions to sin had become especially offensive. I was being sinned against in profoundly hurtful ways and was struggling to react in godliness. I wrote down this verse to remind me that I was supposed to be a forgiving person.
But how could forgiveness, in my situation, be possible? Trying to muster up holiness is ineffective. God has given us his Word for us to draw life and truth. The story of the Bible is not first and foremost about us, though we often like to read it that way. It is first and foremost about God and once we understand who He is, we can understand who we are.
Who is Jesus in the healing of the centurion’s servant (vv.1–10)? He is an Israelite teacher who crosses racial boundaries to heal a Gentile servant. He demonstrates His power and omnipresence over the physical world by curing a sick body from a distance.
Who is Jesus when He raises the widow’s son back to life (vv.11–17)? He is one who is powerful not only over sickly bodies; He can raise even the dead to life. He has compassion for the vulnerable and lowly.
Who is Jesus when he encourages John the Baptist while in prison (vv.18–30)? He is not just a prophet who can perform signs and miracles. As He quotes the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, Jesus declares He is the Messiah and is here to fulfill the Old Testament and proclamations of John the Baptist.
And who is Jesus when He sits with the forgiven woman (vv.36–47)? He is a friend of sinners. He can raise our bodies from the dead, but more than that, he raises our souls from death. He perceives the sin of this prostitute and Pharisee as equally deadly. They both owe a debt they cannot pay.
So how, then, is radical forgiveness possible in our lives? By having a right view of God and of sin. We owe a debt we cannot pay to an eternal, omnipresent, compassionate, merciful Messiah. This knowledge will lead us to deeper worship of God and mercy for our brothers and sisters. Even if we have been profoundly sinned against, we can love as Jesus loved.
Did my little piece of paper with a Bible verse magically solve my unforgiveness problem? It surely did not. I failed and continue to fail regularly. But looking back on that particular season, I can see how the Holy Spirit formed my heart around the truths of His gospel promises. I can look back on the growth that He accomplished because of His power, and by God’s grace, He will continue to change all of us to further image Himself.
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63 thoughts on "Jesus Teaches on Love and Forgiveness"
Lord I thank you!
Amén I loved todays reading
@tarab I had the exact same thought in response to that passage. I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit slowly, yet constantly, opening my eyes to the depth of my sin and my great need for forgiveness. I pray that He’d continue to give me an understanding and appreciation for His love and forgiveness.
Jesus help my eyes and heart to be open to you to know you so I can understand who I am and know my place in your kingdom.
Thank you Donna & Laurie! I will look into it!
Amen
Luke 7:43-48 spoke to me this morning. Those of us who are blessed to have grown up in church all our lives being “good” vs those who are AMAZED at what they have missed out on and find Jesus….neither sinner is better or worse than the other because we are all sinners. “Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” Vs 47. Lord, I pray that you show me daily, hourly my yucky sins so that I may know always the debt You paid. May I be humbled each day by that debt and love greatly as the woman who washed your feet with her tears. Amen
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Hi Lara-Turiya. I use The Bible Commentary on line to help me understand more x
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Foster Mama, Searching, Kelly (Neo), Sharon Jersey girl, Taylor (I’m sure I’m forgetting some names!) thank you for praying for me! Still waiting on the input from my OB but the scan was ok, not overwhelmingly positive (no heartbeat yet ) but could be too early still ?? I know God will be there for me no matter what.
I love Luke 7:47 for my example of how I should forgive
Lara-Turiya, I think what would be helpful is a study bible. If you have a Christian Bookstore in your area they can be very helpful. Good luck. Sometimes I will Google how to understand (list the scripture) and sites come up written by different people who study theology. Most of the time they give the same response. Hope this helps.
Who is worthy to come to Jesus? These passages answer: nobody. And at the same time, everybody.
@Michelle Patire: praying for you sister. My mother and I also had similar tensions that you described. She also has a wall up, of arrogance and bitter grudges. Grace was looked at as something to be exploited. On the flip side, I was not a saint. I also developed a wall of unhealthy fear, resentment and harshness. It’s funny how us humans mirror each other’s reactions, a trap of reflex to return evil for evil. God counselled me let it go & surrender my mother and all the problems completely to Him. Look at it as a sacrifice of praise. I praise you Lord that through this battle I will see your mercy and victory for me. I told myself I must live to please the Lord, not my mom’s expectations and many demands. I had to learn to bless those who hurt me/enemies (Matthew 10:36)—still learning. Wisdom is a defence and wisdom shall give life to those who have it (Ecclesiastes 7:12). A soft answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1), When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. (proverbs 10:19)- preaching to myself here. Living scriptures through our actions takes intentional efforts and much much grace from God. I pray the Lord will lead you on how to guard your heart, your words and actions with wisdom and discretion. Don’t bottle up, but share with someone that you feel safe and who has knowledge about/ already walked the road of dealing successfully with family conflicts. God brought someone to talk to my mom and correct her without me even knowing. This too shall pass. He will rescue you and help you. Bless you Michelle.
@TASHA COLLEY – Thank you for your words. There is something that I view as answer to prayer. God let me say goodbye to my son. I could have easily found him already passed in his home. He could have choked while alone. I kept praying please don’t let me find him dead. God didn’t allow that to happen. I agree you sometimes have to look for the answers. It is always hard for me when I hear of healings. And knowing the stem cell transplants are moving forward. I want that for all the other kids with this disease, just hard to hear about it sometimes.
Father God, You know my many sins and yet You continue to forgive them. Christ, thank You for dying for my sins. Holy Spirit, I rejoice You are within me and guide me in the ways of God and Christ. Amen.
Be blessed and walk with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit every day, hour and minute you are awake sisters.
Kasey’s writing was very helpful to me in a current situation in which I’m being stubborn and stuck.
Hit send too early! Apologies! I hope this question is appropriate to ask in this forum. Thank you!
Hit sent too early, apologies. I hope this question is appropriate for this forum. Thank you!
DEAR ALL! I hope this is questionCan anyone recommend any solid and reliable resources that help to understand scripture? I’ve heard about easy accessible sources such as bible ref or GotQuestions – but I cannot verify whether these are valid resources.
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Thank you Kasey for your explanation of this as well.
What a great read.
Lord help me forgive and break down barrier walls that I have made around myself. Help me love how Jesus loved
Thank you for changing me into your image
If anyone is looking for some additional help with forgiveness- please check out Lysa TerKeurst book Forgiving what you can’t Forget. This book takes a deep dive into how the Bible teaches us how to forgive !! Very good read and centered on the Word!!!
Father God, help me to forgive those I feel have wronged me as I am a sinner and You sent Your Son that my sins can be forgiven.
Good morning She’s. I just wanna say good morning to everyone and have a wonderful day. Though I was able to finish my quiet time this morning, time got away from me.
I am going through a similar season. Praying God will give me grace & mercy. Thank you for this morning reading. It gives me strength ❤️
RhondaJ her name was Gomer
I do a prayer call Tuesdays– the author’s devotional is literally my prayer paraphrased “I was in a place where my sin and reactions to sin had become especially offensive. I was being sinned against in profoundly hurtful ways and was struggling to react in godliness.” – I relate deeply to this.
I am struggling so much to act like Christ in my household. I am struggling so hard to love my family and not judge them. My mother and I got into it, yesterday. When I confronted her and expressed my pain, she was too bitter and angry to have compassion. She had a wall up. So in return, I was intentionally harsh that created a harsh environment for my siblings (who I have had a very hard time not judging / loving bc of their ugly sin ). I feel helpless. I am praying God help me where I see darkness. I feel surrounded by my own and others. God lift the veil from our eyes and help me to be an example of You but not pretend I am You. Help me have healthy boundaries for my hurting spirit.
Praise God that He sent His Son for sinners – of which I am one! I love the reminder in Luke 7:36-47 of how much Jesus loved, and how much this sinful woman loved Jesus. She sat at His feet washing them with her tears and poured a very valuable oil over them. The money she could have gotten from selling the oil could not compare with the riches she would receive in knowing Christ. She loved much and was forgiven much. It doesn’t matter what we have done in this life – nothing is so great that God can not forgive. So thankful for God’s mercy and grace! “He raises our souls from death” – Hallelujah!
@Victoria E – praying that all goes well with your ultrasound today! I prayed for you during your first pregnancy, and am privileged to pray for you during this one too!
Blessings to all my SRT Sisters!
The screen saver image for today is so powerful. I love that it is female oriented, as though God wrote it just for me.
Oh how Luke 7:47 really struck me today! It really makes sense because growing up in church and being a “good” person I didn’t really “see” myself as a sinner, so to speak. Then fast forward to my thirties when I hit my knees, and looked back over my last decade or so of life and saw how far I had fallen into the world, sin, lots of sin, things that break my own heart sin, and I was so ashamed. But God, in that, made it so much profound of his love for me. That he can wipe my slate clean. It is no more. I try not to ponder on all the way I was living except to share it as a testimony. God loves the worst of sinners. And that is a big deal. He loves his good Christian, but to forgive the worst of sinners, makes one like me tear up. There is not much love found like that between humans. It reminds me also of the book of Hosea, and his love for…(what was her name?). I saw the movie “Redeeming Love” which was based on the book, it was good and reflective. God kept loving Israel, time and time again when they walk away from him and I’m grateful today that he does the same with us. That Christians and non-Christians are equal in his eyes to be forgiven, great or small.
Also in this passage is the loving and gentle correction Jesus send to John the Baptist when John doubts. Jesus gave John concrete evidence to the question of who Jesus is, and also praises John to the people who were present. He answers our doubting questions and recognizes our times of faith. He is a great friend to us.
This hit me in so many places today. Thank you. ❤️
Good morning everyone :) thankful for Jesus who loves and cares for the individual. Ladies, I would love your continued prayers. My work has been busier the past two weeks, and I have started to feel a little more anxious in the mornings. It has still been better than before, but hoping I continue to feel better. I am thankful for my job and that I am doing well in it, but it is stressful at times with having to deal with upset parents and it is tiring and honestly a mental game of not letting things bother you. Praying I would keep moving forward and that God would open doors for a new job if that is his will. Praying that anxiety would not prevent me from living my life and having joy. Holding on to Hebrews 12:1-2. Praying I would have endurance to run the race set before me, with my eyes fixed on Jesus.
I was today years old when I learned that the Sanhedrin was A GROUP OF PEOPLE vs A PLACE IN THE DESERT! How did I not know this?! If you’re not careful you can learn something new every day! Thanks for adding the little “extra’s” to our readings. And thank you especially for helping us all recognize ourselves in what is shared here on these pages – laurie
This reading of the woman who loved Jesus so very much that she made herself vulnerable and poured out her tears and her valuable oil on Him is just wildly authentic and I’m always in awe of this event . She must have been so very spent and at her very end of her situation that she knew no one could save her so she went to seek out Jesus and threw all she had left into this encounter with Him. What an amazing act of love and an exchange of “realness” . And that oil that she placed on Him stayed with Him even as he made His way days later onto the cross. Just an awe worthy moment. Forgiveness Authenticity Devotion
Father, please help me to love those who speak against me still and the others who hurt me so deeply last year. Please protect my heart from unforgiveness. Your example of love for me inspires me to want to be more like you.
I know what it is like to be forgiven of many sins. I am just so grateful to serve a God who loves and I am so grateful I get to love Him.
“The story of the Bible … is first and foremost about God, and once we understand who He is, we can understand who we are”. Thank you for sharing such a deeply honest devotion. I had a similar season that still resonates, struggling to love, asking God to show me how, and He whispers to me “you’ll never be able to love deeply until you understand how deeply I love you”. The story of this unarmed woman is my story, but it’s right to know that it is God’s story.
Praying for @Kristina Lopes, @Kristen’s coworker, @Victoria E’s ultrasound and others!
I pray that learning more about who God is will lead me to deeper worship, more trust to surrender to His will, more faith to be obedient to His calling, and give me more joy & peace to live the abundant life that God calls us too. May it be so Lord!
I hope everyone has a blessed day <3
Yes!! This line grabbed me also- I’ve never thought of it that way but it so true. We can’t create holiness in ourselves, it comes from God. My goal this year is to focus on serving and teaching my son through that example. I pray I give all I have to God and he finds a sliver of worthy in me. So thankful for a savior who loves and forgives.
@SAMantha M: me too! This has been huge for me right now. Not by my spirit but by Holy Spirit living in us. Asking every morning and many times a day to immerse and fill me. It has been many acts of surrender acknowledging my need for Him! It keeps me grounded. Love how you said that so well!
Having grown in the Word , reading about the widow and understanding the culture of the time,
I see now the greatest compassion in this. It’s not a basic understanding of him raising the dead even though that’s amazing, it’s everything else that comes with it. Truly precious.
Having grown in the Word , reading about the widow and understanding the culture of the time,
Father, that You draw closer to us as we draw closer to You. In Jesus name, Amen
“Trying to muster up holiness is ineffective… we were given the Bible to draw life and truth” << This line in the devotional really resonated with what God’s been teaching me: it is not by MY anything but by GOD’S everything that I am able to love and produce lasting fruit. I am completely ineffective without drawing from God’s source of life and truth.
I’m so grateful for forgiveness today! Thank you Jesus for your mercy and grace. Your love for me lifts my spirits higher and makes me humble. ❤️❤️❤️
That’s a great observation.
Reading this again I was reminded of the Cece Winans song “Alabaster Jar”
That will be on my lips and in my heart today.
That’s a great observation.
Reading this again I was reminded of the Cece Winans song “Alabaster Jar”
That’s a great observation.
Amen Tasha!
Thank you, Kasey for this devotional. You are so right when you say: “But how could forgiveness, in my situation, be possible? Trying to muster up holiness is ineffective. God has given us his Word for us to draw life and truth. The story of the Bible is not first and foremost about us, though we often like to read it that way. It is first and foremost about God and once we understand who He is, we can understand who we are.”
I think of the teaching on the Holiness of God that I have listened to from R C Sproul on YouTube. He teaches from Isaiah. He talks about what Isaiah saw and heard. He said that they were praising God saying that He is Holy, Holy, Holy. This is THE only attribute of God repeated three times! Isaiah fell down before Him and said: ““Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.””
Isaiah 6:5 NIV
R C explains that for the first time Isaiah saw God rightly and himself rightly. He saw the depths of his sin.
On the podcast this week the guest talks about these verses. He said something like people thinking the only owe 50 denarrii, but we actually owe 500. He talked about seeing our own depravity. (I’m paraphrasing.) The point is that it is a blessing to see the depths of our own sin and our incredible need. Then, we will be filled with awe and wonder of the mercy of God and the unfathomable sacrifice of the King of kings so that we could ever even enter the Presence of a Holy God. In God’s mercy, May this become reality for us and all we know and May we become undone like Isaiah at the thought of who He is and what has been done for us! May we always be amazed, astonished, grateful, and give thanks and praise!
“And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.””
Revelation 5:12-13 NLT
Prayers for you all today!
May I also ask for prayer for a former coworker. He is having a test done and has asked for prayer. They found a small mass in his ear. He had a heart attack several years back. Please also pray that he comes to repentance and salvation. Thanks so much!
Christ’s love for me/us (sinners) is overwhelming. Am I/are we thankful enough for His love, forgiveness, salvation, blessings?
SAMANTHA COLLIER – praying for victory over fear, and provision for payments. He has walked with you to overcome so much, thankful you are with us here.
VICTORIA E – praying for ultrasound
AIMEE ROGERS – welcome! Stay with us and work on catching up as you can – Saturdays are grace days for just that purpose. Some have commented that they don’t need a grace day … for me, grace day is always welcome whether to catch up or to look back and reflect.
TRICIA CAVANAUGH – praying for your (& my) words, thoughts and actions to be honoring to Him and bring glory to the Lord.
I felt God’s presence this morning when reading this passage. I feel renewed by learning these things about Jesus, in my season of depression and illness. Thank you God for bringing me back to you. And to everyone reading this, please pray for me – that I continue to bring myself closer to God on a daily basis through my morning routine of reading the Bible and my nightly routine of prayer
“Blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”
This just really convicted me today. As I interact with those around me, am I standing up for Jesus and His teaching or am I bowing to the pressure of the culture out of fear of the opinion of man? Trusting that the Spirit will show me when I am behaving in a way that reflects being offended by Jesus.
VICTORIA E – praying for you and your appt. today.
AMIEE – welcome! Don’t worry if you miss a day (or two) just jump in. Soon openning your Bible every day will become second nature.
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to see Jesus in a crowd performing miracles, giving blessings and teaching anyone and everyone who wanted to come. He always has a special place for women in a culture where their value is minimum. I am a women with a alabaster jar and my sins are many… so many but often my gratitude doesn’t reflect that. Oh to see Jesus one day, I pray that my tears will wash his feet and my kisses will greet his cheek.
*I meant “Sleep peacefully, my sisters” :)
Headed to bed…will read in the “proper” morning.
For now @SAMANTHA COLLIER and
@VICTORIA E (incl. re: ultrasound)…I’m praying.
@K, I’m thinking of you.
Pray peacefully, my sisters ❤️