17 September: Luke 7:36-50
Key Verse: Luke 7:47
Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’
Devotion:
This, for me, is one of those special passages in the bible where Jesus gives recognition to a sinner in front of everyone. If we would ever be looking for forgiveness, we should remember these verses and know that Jesus will forgive us no matter how far we have gone.
To us it may seem strange that a woman would even enter another persons house to do such a thing, but this was almost 2000 years ago when the world was a different place; a place where people would be allowed to show their love for one another - and not in the modern way we think of that!
Would I ever wan to go back to a time like that? I'm not sure. I don't know whether I would survive too long without the creature comforts we have nowadays. I don't know whether I would be willing to have my house open all the time, but it is something we should think about.
Our village has two parish churches. The one is open most days for people to come in and look around, but the other is locked much of the time because of all the equipment and kitchen etc. Which to you is more loving?
Points to ponder:
Are you willing to show your love more openly?
How would you go about that safely?