All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
It’s easy to beat myself up over my missteps and sinful actions. And of course, I should try to obey God’s instructions, repent when I fail and strive to live a holy life. But...the truth is, even on our best day we fall short of God's holiness. And this is not a surprise to Him - that’s why He sent His Son. Only Jesus can solve our dilemma!
When we recognize our many sins and turn to Jesus, we open ourselves up to His love. And as someone who spent the first half of his life avoiding Him and living a life of sin and shame, I can attest to what Jesus told the Pharisee who was shocked at Jesus' actions towards the 'sinful' woman:
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
In this passage from Luke, Jesus is explaining to the self-righteous man the reason for his lack of love – he has not been forgiven! He wasn’t forgiven because he did not recognize that he was in the presence of God’s only Son. The sinful are forgiven and provided with a great storehouse of love - if they only turn to the Source of forgiveness and love so they can be healed.
I have sinned much, and I should show my gratefulness through my outward expression of His love. The love I show to others in turn does me much good.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
#LoveMatters