Saturday, 21 March 2009

Hard things to accept

There are somethings that we find really hard to believe. There a God, it will be sunny this summer, Exeter City may get promotion again this year... But one of the hardest things many people find hard to believe is that God loves me as I am, and there is nothing that I can do that will make Him love me less.

This Sunday, we meet a woman (Luke 7:36-50), who met Jesus and accepted that everything in her past could be dealt with, and that God's love and forgiveness was for her. But where do we fit in this story? Do we identify with the Pharisee and because of our good deeds and self denial think that we're actually ok, and in no need of God's forgiveness? Do we identify with this un-named woman and joyfully accept God's love and forgiveness?

Or do we look on at this woman, and wish that that could be us, but when push comes to shove we do not believe that God can love and forgive us, because what we've done is just too bad. The good news is that there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less. There is nothing that we can ever do that alters the fact that God loved us so much that Jesus died for us so that we can know God's forgiveness. Rather than doubt God's love, let's embrace it and be totally overwhelmed by it - like the woman in this story.

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