12 Days of Christmas: Day Six
"I tell you her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." (Luke 7:47 NLT)
On day two, I talked about giving as our Father gives. Having His Heart involves receiving from His Heart. This is not something we can do simply in our humanness. We need His Spirit to transform us from the inside out. What we believe about God and receive from God determines how much like Him we can become.
Once when Jesus was at a dinner-party held in His honor, He told a story to the host who had invited Him. It involved two people who owed a man a lot of money, but one owed much more than the other. When neither of them could repay, the lender decided to cancel both debts. Jesus asked the host this question: "Now which of them will love him more?"
He told this story because a woman heard He was there and came to anoint His feet with perfume and her tears. The host was disgusted with her behavior because she was a sinful woman, and he didn't understand why Jesus allowed it. After telling the story, Jesus pointed out to the host the ways the woman was honoring Him, and the ways he was not. I don't imagine he invited Jesus to stay for dessert.
The man who invited Jesus to dinner was a member of a sect of Jews called the Pharisees. In general, the Pharisees didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah. He was too humble, ordinary, and didn't associate with the right people. Jesus got after them a lot regarding their self-righteous behavior and how they were oppressing the poor, sinful, and anyone not like them. They needed forgiveness as much as anyone, perhaps even more so, but they didn't recognize their sinful ways: their pride, religious piety, hypocrisy, anger, and greediness. They wanted to please God, but they weren't looking to love Him or receive His love. That wasn't a part of their thought process, at least not that I can see.
I'd like to say I've never fallen into this same trap, but I can't. And in a way, I'm glad. I know what it feels like to take love out of the equation in my relationship with God. And I never want to go back there. It's a dark, lonely place of confusion and pain. I am thankful God rescued me from that. He has taught me to rest in His grace every day. No matter how I fall short--through blatant disobedience, misguided choices, disappointing others, or not being all I think I should be: His grace is enough. He loves me.
Believing that makes me more loving, more forgiving, more giving, less fearful, less stressed, and less burdened. I am living loved, and I hope you are too.
"I tell you her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." (Luke 7:47 NLT)
On day two, I talked about giving as our Father gives. Having His Heart involves receiving from His Heart. This is not something we can do simply in our humanness. We need His Spirit to transform us from the inside out. What we believe about God and receive from God determines how much like Him we can become.
Once when Jesus was at a dinner-party held in His honor, He told a story to the host who had invited Him. It involved two people who owed a man a lot of money, but one owed much more than the other. When neither of them could repay, the lender decided to cancel both debts. Jesus asked the host this question: "Now which of them will love him more?"
He told this story because a woman heard He was there and came to anoint His feet with perfume and her tears. The host was disgusted with her behavior because she was a sinful woman, and he didn't understand why Jesus allowed it. After telling the story, Jesus pointed out to the host the ways the woman was honoring Him, and the ways he was not. I don't imagine he invited Jesus to stay for dessert.
The man who invited Jesus to dinner was a member of a sect of Jews called the Pharisees. In general, the Pharisees didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah. He was too humble, ordinary, and didn't associate with the right people. Jesus got after them a lot regarding their self-righteous behavior and how they were oppressing the poor, sinful, and anyone not like them. They needed forgiveness as much as anyone, perhaps even more so, but they didn't recognize their sinful ways: their pride, religious piety, hypocrisy, anger, and greediness. They wanted to please God, but they weren't looking to love Him or receive His love. That wasn't a part of their thought process, at least not that I can see.
I'd like to say I've never fallen into this same trap, but I can't. And in a way, I'm glad. I know what it feels like to take love out of the equation in my relationship with God. And I never want to go back there. It's a dark, lonely place of confusion and pain. I am thankful God rescued me from that. He has taught me to rest in His grace every day. No matter how I fall short--through blatant disobedience, misguided choices, disappointing others, or not being all I think I should be: His grace is enough. He loves me.
Believing that makes me more loving, more forgiving, more giving, less fearful, less stressed, and less burdened. I am living loved, and I hope you are too.
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