Recovered In Christ

What if God has something to say to you? Are you listening? I’m not talking about trancing out for 45 minutes listening to musical chimes kind of listening either! Is your heart honest, obedient and willing? ….are you listening? Are you able to hear – or are your excuses and “progress rather than perfection” anthem drowning out the voice of God?

The scary thing about excuses – is that after a time you will believe them yourself…and you will be lost at sea inside your own self. The compass of truth that God has given everyone – our conscience, has been seared that’s true…we need the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in us that’s true…but God cannot and will not restore to you what he knows in His heart you refuse to accept.

So many people come to me wanting evidence and confirmation that they have been forgiven – desperate to believe that God can and has released them from their debts (sometimes it’s to secretly let themselves off the hook to keep sinning). But often they are like Simon…more interested in debating what God should and should not forgive, all in an attempt to hide their own sin, rather than fall at his feet asking forgiveness.

What’s at the heart of this? The heart of it is their refusal to admit what REALLY needs to be forgiven! Oh sure, they’ll list to me all kinds of nasty things…woeful sins..lusts…stealing…anger…etc. etc. and yet they walk away with their pride and their SIN fully intact. They have invited Jesus over for dinner to discuss confession and forgiveness in theory….but they know nothing of what it means to weep at his feet.

I don’t mean this as a demand for an emotional repentance or physical sign of remorse. I mean this in the sense of the level of HONESTY and sincerity.

God will not forgive or heal or remove what you deny, what you cling to. But he will use many different ways to get your attention. Are you listening? Are you sure? Can you hear and see and feel all the ways you hide from him? All the ways you control what you confess and what you keep to yourself…the subtle ways in which you try to save face.

God FORGAVE me much and so I LOVE much….and…I loved Him much before I knew I was forgiven…that is what he means by “your faith has saved you”….I told him and showed him everything. And I am willing to show him everything. I don’t care what it costs me, I don’t care if I lose “face”, I don’t care if it makes me look weak, I don’t care if people think less of me, I don’t care if it makes me vulnerable, I don’t care. All I really care about is what God has given me. The 100% ABSOLUTE confirmation that I AM FORGIVEN. No shame, no guilt, no openings to give Satan a foothold to work on me…..Jesus Christ has forgiven me MUCH….it is the ONLY reason why I Love much.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:39-50)