Scripture Reading
Romans 2:1-16
Devotional
The woman in Luke 7:36-50 understood the depth of her sin and the greatness of Jesus’ forgiveness. In His parable, both men had a debt they could not pay; one had a more outstanding debt than the other, but both had a debt they couldn’t repay. Jesus identified this woman as the man with the greatest debt; in other words, she, like the man, recognized how bankrupt they were. The man in his relationship with the lender and the woman, spiritually, in her relationship with holy Yahweh. This recognition of her great sin debt and the even greater kind forgiveness of God led her to an outpouring of love and worship. We often fail to reach the depth of worship she experienced because we fail to realize the depths of sin from which we have been rescued.
We also miss that we deserve God’s wrath for this unplayable debt we owe Him, the debt we accumulated by living by our desires even when opposed to His. The lender in the story could have had both men enslaved to pay their debt, forced them to sell possessions or family to pay back the amount owed, or, like the lender in the parable of Matthew 18, used physical harm to motivate his debtors to pay back what was rightfully owed him. Against the backdrop of what could have happened, we see why Jesus says that the lender kindly forgave their debt; this debt forgiveness was a demonstration of mercy!
When we begin to see God’s mercy demonstrated through His kindly forgiving of our sins, our worship can become more genuine and heartfelt. The gospel is that we cannot save ourselves; we deserve God’s wrath, but God shows mercy by not giving us what we deserve—His wrath on our sins—when we place our faith in Jesus, His person, and His work to make us right with Him. Because Jesus incurred our sin debt upon Himself, He can rescue us from the inescapable pit of sin, as the video above so beautifully illustrates!
Bible Verse
‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ – Romans 3:23
‘Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?’ – Romans 2:4
Reflection Questions
Do you truly recognize the depth of your own sin and the greatness of Jesus’ forgiveness? Of God’s mercy?
Quote
We fail to reach the depth of worship that this woman experienced because we failed to realize the depths of sin from which we have been rescued.
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to see the depth of my sin and the greatness of Your mercy and forgiveness. Help me to respond with genuine worship and gratitude. Amen.
Want to receive the daily devotions that continue to reinforce the truths and application of Sunday’s message? Subscribe today!
Today’s Devotion compliments the following sermon from Luke 7:36-50.
Watch
Listen
Song for Personal Worship / Reflection
Leave a Reply