Well, what about us? We are a joyful bunch, hopeful and at peace with God, no longer carrying the guilt of sin, forgiven by grace and blessed by God!
“Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which [are] many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loves little.”
What took place in this account of Luke, recorded in Luke 7:36-50 leaves you mesmerized about the wisdom and the manifold attribute of the Lord Jesus.
The account drives home a point that we all need to learn and stirs us how we can relate better, how we can respond to the one who loves us so much.
To the woman, it was simply heartwarming and life-changing. How He loved her. How He loved her is also how He loves you and me!
Having come to Him a sinner, broken and contrite, she expressed, not by words, but, by deeds, the anguish and wretchedness of a life alienated from God.
She must have waited for the opportune time to be with Jesus. When the opportunity came, it was to be in a house of Simon, a religious man, a Pharisee, where she was unwelcome and looked down.
But, she had to pursue Jesus no matter what and the location nor the circumstances will not stop her.
She washed the Lord’s feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed His feet, and anointed them with fragrant oil.
After the encounter, the woman, unnamed, went away joyful having heard the words of Jesus “Your sins are forgiven.” and coming out from the house rejoicing in peace and with guilt, she carried for so long, gone.
Indeed, in her mind, she was forgiven much.
Left behind by her was the man, the Pharisee, Simon, who said to himself that this Rabbi (Jesus) allowed himself to be touched by a sinner, a thing he is not going to allow because the woman was a sinner and therefore unclean.
While looking at the un-cleanness of the woman he missed the lesson the Lord is trying to teach him. So, the Lord then told him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which [are] many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loves little.”
Simon judged the woman as a sinner but he did not judge himself believing that he is righteous. So, the Lord gave this implied rebuke “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
This statement exposes how we perceive what God has done for us. He did little for us if we think our sin is minuscule.
But, for those who understand the enormity of our sin, we know that the Lord has to die for our sins to pay for them. Sin is not a little thing. It is huge, no matter what it is. Therefore, we are forever thankful and indebted because we are forgiven for a debt we cannot repay.
We are forgiven much!
In response to His goodness, we tell others (you and the visitors of this site) of what He did for us and how He gave us a new life and infused us with understanding so wonderful not to share, hence we share, we blog.
In the past few years, we also had an on-the-ground ministry in my home town Angeles City, Philippines. In 2020, during the pandemic, not knowing when schools will reopen, we decided to give up our Student Center. The center was ideally located outside the Angeles City National High School. We have conducted bible studies at our Student Center and twice-yearly retreats. We also conducted outreaches to students at other high schools in the city. Our work there was in partnership with Pastor Paul Azores of Freedom Baptist Church, Angeles City.
We have been praying that God will open up a door so we can also minister to the colleges and universities in the area. Post pandemic, our prayer is that the ministry to high school students in the city be resumed.
God's Been Good to Us
Yours truly has been a believer for over 20 years. My coming to faith coincides with my coming to the USA. I left the Philippines when my painting and waterproofing business went bankrupt as a result of the Asian crisis that started in 1997.
With our home in danger of foreclosure and unable to support the schooling of my children, I was forced to leave the Philippines to search for opportunity in the USA.
So, I came to the US at a very vulnerable time of life. As the circumstances later unfolded, little did I know, that God was working out my failure and situation to call me to a loving relationship with Him.
I now know that God took away riches in my life that were blinding me, (the riches that I used for my own pleasure), so I can see my need for Him.
God called and I responded and am now here wanting to share with you what He did for me.
I was blind but now I see. Thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness and grace! You are the God of second chances. Blessed be your name!
In the interest of full disclosure, we want to state where we are coming from. These are what we believe:
* We believe that the bible is the inerrant, inspired and complete word of God;
* God is Elohim manifesting Himself in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
* Jesus, the Son came down from heaven, lived a perfect life under the law that He may redeem us from our sin and the curse from sin, through His suffering, death and resurrection.
We believe that faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to be forgiven of our sin and that as believers we must live by faith and follow Him, living lives worthy of our repentance.
As believers, we believe that we are in-dwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live the abundant life that God intended for us to live. So, we walk in gratitude for what the Lord has done for us and knowing we are Forgiven Much.
As you read our blogs, we hope you will be built-up, encouraged and strengthened in your own faith and be able to point to you the God who is called Love.
~Victor Bonus~