“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven,
so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47 NLT
Lord Jesus, it’s as simple and profound, daily and real as this: Because you’ve forgiven all of our sins, we should love you with ever-growing awe, perpetual thanks, and indefatigable delight. And we should become the most humble, gentle, and compassionate people in our families, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Lord may it be; may it increasingly be so.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, keep us constantly aware of how much you’ve forgiven us. Don’t let us minimize the wonder of our forgiveness by thinking our sins are less numerous or egregious than anybody else’s. Don’t let us ever get used to being forgiven by you. Supersize our Gospel-astonishment.
Quickly convict us when we indulge an irritable spirit or judgmental attitude. May we deeply believe the log in our eye is always a bigger issue than the speck in anyone else’s eye. Help us respond mercifully and grace-fully to all kinds of scenarios and personalities.
Free us to love as you love us, when we experience unintentional oversights and intentional slights; harsh words spoken, and healing words left unspoken; being ignored by people we love or target practice for people in pain.
Jesus, in our anger, keep us from sinning; in our pain, keep us from blaming; and in our disappointment, keep us from sulking. Only your love is better than life. Only your love will never let go of us. Only your love was, is and ever will be enough to satisfy our deepest longings. So very Amen we pray, in your awesome and tender name.