Forgiven Much, Loves Much

“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

James was a man in East Texas who had lived a hard and sinful life.  When I met him at the age of fifteen, I knew he was the kind of young man whom my parents would want me to avoid at all cost.

One day, James came to church with his grandmother.  When the invitation was given at the end of the service, James gave his heart and life to Jesus Christ.

 I never saw a man—young or old—more changed than James.  He went from hardened and hateful, to humble and loving.  His heart was more generous than anyone I had known up until that point.

It was the power of God that transformed James that September Sunday.  He had been forgiven much, and understood the sacrifice God made in sending His one and only son to die for each and every sin—each and every sin James committed.

That same sacrifice was made for your sins and mine.

May we recognize that we all have been forgiven much, and may we be filled with the boundless, selfless love of Christ toward everyone we encounter.