Much Forgiveness, Much Love
Open Your Bible
Luke 7:1-50, 1 Kings 17:17-24, Psalm 23:1-6
BY Rebecca Faires
This year, as part of our celebratory Christmas decorations, we set up a fantastic black-and-cream toy train under the tree. Once a day, I would let the kids play with it for a few minutes. They would sit on their tiny knees, leaning forward and exclaiming while the train made its allotted brave journey around the tree several times. Then I’d remind them to turn it off and move on with their day.
One of my best friends laughed at me for this, saying, “You’re limiting their Christmas magic so you don’t have to spend money on replacement batteries?!” Yeah, I guess I do tend to be a little parsimonious when it comes to… well, everything. Some of us are miserly with our resources. Maybe you are a bit freer with your spending; we’re all different. But if I had an alabaster jar filled with perfume I would reluctantly parse it out over many years, and I’d be hard-pressed to slop it all out in one afternoon over a stranger.
Whether you are free or tight with resources, it’s important to know when it’s time to set aside your personal inclinations. Otherwise, we are like the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his house but held back on the hospitality. If the Pharisee had realized Who was sitting at his table, and what debt of gratitude he owed Him, would he have been so close-fisted in his actions? And centuries later, knowing Jesus’s purpose and intent, would we have washed His feet and offered Him a kiss? Unless we are aware of our great debt of love, it’s hard to remember who we are and what we are called to do.
When we realize how much we have received—how much we have been forgiven—then everything comes into perspective. We too often hold back pieces of our lives for ourselves, because we fail to see how greatly we have been forgiven. If we were to comprehend the full abundance of God’s forgiveness, how could we hold back anything from Him? In Him we have received all things, beyond what we could ask or imagine.
Like the woman in Luke 7, we who have been forgiven much can appreciate the depth of Christ’s love. The more we see our need of Him, the more opportunity we have for gratefulness and love for His deep forgiveness. He doesn’t speak of the woman’s shame, only of her love.
In John’s vision of heaven, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns at the feet of Christ, crying out: “Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power!” (Revelation 4:11). Everything changes because of who Christ is. By His sacrifice, He has given us abundant forgiveness and overwhelming love. He calls us to live our lives in thankfulness—and when we remember who He is and what He has done, how can we keep from falling at His feet in grateful love?
71 thoughts on "Much Forgiveness, Much Love"
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I forgive your sins! ❤️
Let our hearts and minds rest as we accept he is able to forgive us and set our hearts free of condemnation. -
Thanks Heidi, I will try praying a different way. I will try to pray for them. Thanks! Have a great day.
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Thank you Lord for forgiving my sins. When my sins seem like they’re tall enough to touch the sky, Your love and grace surpasses all of my shame and guilt. You are the Alpha.
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“Everything changes because of who Christ is.” and we are changed because of who He is in us. I’m always humbled by this story of the woman — washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and pouring her alabaster jar of perfume over someone she hasn’t yet met, but has so much faith in.
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
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❤️
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We had a wonderful surprising breakthrough in our season of difficulty today!!! Could this be the beginning of the end? In the midst of rejoicing and telling others (as an attempt to share the joy) an unexpected rebuke came from a family member. You would think I would have been prepared for an attack (the devil is sure to want us kept discouraged and despairing) yet it shook me to tears. Her reasons was cruel and hurtful. I know this family member is hostile to Christianity and I’ve been on the receiving end of her blows before. Attempts at reconciliation have met with silence. After five minutes of very human emotions, I turned to the Lord in obedience to pray to forgive her. Not easy. I admit I liked the idea of heaping coals on her head as the Scripture says – but with the hope that she is purified and her heart turned from one of stone to one of surrendered flesh. I prayed that anger, hurt, bitterness and jealousy would shatter and that the fruit of the Spirit would bloom forth. She accepted Christ years ago but circumstances and unwise decisions made her blame God and turn away. It is time for her to shatter her alabaster jar of anger and it is time for me to shatter my alabaster jar of unrealistic expectations. My trust remains steadfast in the Lord. God is in charge. He loves her and will pursue her. That’s all the encouragement I need. My joy is not diminished. I rejoice in the breakthrough blessings we had today – and I await expectantly for one for her also.
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This was such an encouragement to me. So thankful for a Savior who loves to forgive sinners from the least to the greatest! I feel like as Christians we can fail to have the compassion that Christ shows this woman, we can be judgemental and unforgiving. Or maybe we can feel judgement from others from our failures, our imperfections. We can believe that maybe Grace has it’s limits. But Christ has the true authority over forgiveness. Whsn a sinner turns in faith to Christ or we as Christians turn back to Christ from waywordness, we are received with forgiveness. So we should live a grace-filled life towards others and have joy for God’s grace in our lives.
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The posture of our heart saves us, just like the woman with the alabaster box. Despite her past and what others saw her as, she knew the depth of her sins and this morning bings that Jesus had forgiven and freed her from.
God knows our hearts, and we have been reminded time and time again by the fruits we bear will reveal who we really are. The truth is, I would have struggled being the woman with the alabaster box, just knowing that I could have possible sold it and gotten money. What would you have done?! My prayer is that I am like the woman with alabaster box, I afraid of what people think of me or the past they prefer to hold onto failing to realize that my God has change me.
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