ICS Daily Devotions
True Worshipper Of God
Luke 7:41-42 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
In this passage, the creditor has freely forgiven both debtors, so both of them should have been grateful. Similarly, each of us is indebted to God and is unable to pay because we are spiritually bankrupt. However, the degree of our love and gratitude will depend on our own estimate of our debt—one doesn’t have to be a sinful reprobate in order to appreciate the love of God, while a man could be less of a sinner than another, yet be more conscious of his own sins and so “love Christ more”.
Like 7:48-50 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
The prostitute in the passage was guilty of sins of the flesh, but Jesus said her sins were forgiven, and that her faith has saved her. Note that faith is the starting point—we are not saved by love or service, but by a faith which produces love, which in turn results in service. The woman loved because she was forgiven, and because she was justified by faith, she had peace with God. Jesus offered her rest, which she received by faith. She had complete assurance of perfect pardon and resulting peace.
Luke 7:44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
On the other hand, Simon the Pharisee saw himself as pure and righteous, and therefore didn’t need to treat Jesus in any special manner.
In Christ, God has freely forgiven our sins, but we need to have an accurate assessment of our sins and to know how much we have been forgiven, Like the prostitute, our sins are many, and like both debtors, we have nothing with which to repay. True appreciation and gratitude for what Jesus has done are the right heart attitudes of a true worshipper of God.
Sermon Series: Attitude of Worship
