Tag: judgment

Why You Must Repent

Why You Must Repent

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Carl Pollard

There’s a story told of a man who came forward every Sunday to ask for prayers. 

He continued responding every week for several months. Every time he would confess this same sin he would say, “Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life.” 

Finally, one Sunday, the man responded again with the same sin, and asked for the cobwebs to be taken out of his life. To which the preacher responded, “just kill the spider already.” Often, we come to God asking for forgiveness from the same sin time and time again, and yet we continue to leave the source of temptation in our lives. 

Sin always requires forgiveness. Forgiveness requires repentance. Repentance requires change! Repentance is a topic we are all familiar with. The word repent/repentance is used over 170 times in the Bible It is stressed as a part of the process by which we are forgiven of our sin. Verses like Acts 2:38 come to mind when we hear this word. To repent means to change your mind which leads to a change in direction. It means to feel remorse for sin, and it includes a change in lifestyle. 

When faced with temptation, true repentance is choosing not to sin. When caught in sin, repentance is a godly remorse. It is sincerity in your desire to “go and sin no more.” We understand this. It’s important for the born again Christian, but also for those who are wanting to be immersed and added to the body of Christ. 

We know what it is, but we also need to realize what it isn’t. Repentance isn’t just feeling sad. Paul tells us that worldly remorse is just feeling sorry that you were caught. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” Godly grief that leads to repentance is remorse that you have sinned against the God of our salvation. 

Worldly repentance is hollow and empty. 

It isn’t feeling remorse just because you were caught doing what you shouldn’t. True repentance is so much more. True repentance does not regret parting with sin, false repentance does. True repentance hates sin, false repentance hates the consequences of sin. True repentance accepts godly counsel and accountability, false repentance avoids accountability. 

Our goal must be to practice true repentance, and we can’t fool ourselves. We are ALL in need of forgiveness, but we must be willing to confess our sins, to hate the sin, and change our lives to mirror Christ. 

Why Is repentance needed? Whether it is in relationships, in the church or in the world, God will not forgive us if we are unwilling to change sinful behavior.

Repentance isn’t just guilt, although guilt can sometimes motivate us to repent. 

In Luke 13:3,5, Jesus tells those who come to him to repent or they will perish. In this section several people come to Jesus to talk not about their own sins, but the sins of others. It’s a whole lot easier to see the faults in others rather than the blatantly obvious faults we have in our own lives. 

Here the people have done exactly what we continue to do today, talk about the sins of others rather than their own. But Jesus tells them they are horribly mistaken. There is power in repentance, and twice in this one conversation Jesus tells them to repent.

If I am honest, there have been far too many times I have failed to just “kill the spider.” I am ashamed of the sin I continued to feed all the while pointing out sin in everyone else’s lives. God will look at each and every one of us. He sees our sins and there is no one to blame but ourselves. Repent. Before your conscience is seared or the end comes. Repent.

Not Our Problem

Not Our Problem

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Gary Pollard

If I had a dollar for every time the world was supposed to have ended in my lifetime alone, I could probably fill my gas tank. Most recently, the eclipse was supposed to mark “the end.” In Graham Hancock’s 1995 book Fingerprints of the Gods, he puts great stock in the Mayan prophecy concerning the world’s end (supposedly Dec 23, 2012, conveniently revised to “no later than 2040” in Magicians of the Gods, 2015). Y2K was supposed to be a disaster. 

Just since I was born (1993), here are a few of the times the world was supposed to end (from Wikipedia, sorry): 

  1. David Berg claimed that the earth would end in 1993. 
  2. 05.02.1994 — Neal Chase’s claim that New York City would be struck by a nuclear bomb, followed shortly by the second coming. 
  3. 09.06, 09.29, 10.2.1994 — Harold Camping’s three consecutive failed predictions that the rapture would occur on these dates. 
  4. 10.23.1997 — The date, according to 17th century bishop James Ussher, that the world was supposed to end. 
  5. 03.31.1998 — Hon-Ming Chen claimed that God would come to earth in a flying saucer at 10:00 AM. 
  6. 08.18.1999 — World was supposed to end on this day, according to the psychic The Amazing Criswell. 
  7. 09.11.1999 — Earth was supposed to burn on this date, according to Philip Berg. 
  8. At least a dozen different public figures claimed the earth would end in the year 2000 (Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins, James Harmston, Ruth Montgomery, Edgar Cayce, Sun Myung Moon, Ed Dobson, Lester Sumrall, and others). 
  9. Some 22 other predictions between 2000 and 2024 claimed that the end of earth was imminent. 

Does earth have an expiration date? Of course! But it makes us (understandably) look ridiculous when we fall for the doomsday-predictors’ nonsense. To comfort the churches at Thessalonica, Paul made it clear that we can’t miss the second coming. A few things have to take place first: 

  1. Lawlessness runs the entire world (2.3)
  2. The majority of Christians all around the world abandon God (II Thess 2.3). 
  3. Religion is discarded (2.4). 

We aren’t there yet. The church is still doing great things all over the world! The world is chaotic, but nowhere near as bad as it could be. Rather than discarding religion, we’re now seeing people pursue it, fed up with hedonism and its best friend nihilism. This may change in our lifetime, it may not. 

I’m writing this in light of what’s happened over the last few days in the Middle East. Already we’re seeing people claim that “Armageddon” is coming because Iran attacked Israel. The point is this: we simply don’t know when Jesus will return. Of all people, we’re the ones who are supposed to be least concerned about it! Rather than portraying an image of gullibility, let’s showcase Jesus’s love to our fellow people. If he returns, great! If not, we have much better things to do than share, post, re-post, or otherwise buy into doomsday speculations. 

1 Corinthians: That There Be No Divisions Among You (IX)

1 Corinthians: That There Be No Divisions Among You (IX)

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Unity And Lawsuits (6:1-6)

Neal Pollard

Apparently, brethren suing one another was a problem plaguing the church of the first century. James asks his audience, “Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?” (2:6). In context, these are not the rich from the community but rich Christians taking their brethren to court. It was a problem for the church at Corinth, and Paul takes the time to address it. 

This Practice Was Audacious (1)

“Neighbor” in this verse is “Christian neighbor,” which is clear from verses five and six. Paul shows his disbelief at this practice, using the word “dare.” We might say, “How dare you do this?” To take a matter of disagreement or division between ourselves “before the unrighteous and not before the saints” damages the image of the Lord’s church in the community. 

This Practice Was Ignorant (2-3)

Often, we get so off track and err because we “do not know” God’s Word (Paul says “do you not know” twice in these verses). I have known of Christians suing Christians, and it is the height of ignorance of the worst kind! When challenged by the Sadducees, Jesus responded, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Mat. 22:29). When we are ignorant of Scripture, we will wind up violating the will of God and breaking the heart of God.

This Practice Was An Abdication (4-6)

God has a definitive system for His family to handle whatever challenges it faces. If our brother offends us, He has a plan (Mat. 18:15-17). If our brother is overtaken in a fault, He has a plan (Gal. 6:1-2). If we offend our brother, He has a plan (Mat. 5:23-24). If we have seemingly irreconcilable difference, He has a plan. The plan is not to use earthly courts, but to solicit “a wise man” from “among you” (5). 

This Practice Was Damaging (6)

Paul’s bottom-line concern is inviting interference and unflattering insight into the precious bride of Christ. To have the world see the church’s “dirty laundry” can do untold harm to her ability to win souls to Christ. Incidentally, this is not about covering up abuses or crimes, but rather personal grievances brethren have between each other. If we act like the world in such circumstances, we offer the world absolutely nothing different from what it already believes and does. The world is hopelessly divided already. They should be able to look to the church and see a higher law! 

1 Corinthians: “That There Be No Divisions Among You” (II)

1 Corinthians: “That There Be No Divisions Among You” (II)

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THE PURPOSE OF THE LETTER (1:1-17)

Neal Pollard

When I was in elementary school, we had a teacher who taught us how to properly write a letter. Miss Crews, my fourth grade teacher, told us it included the heading, greeting, body, complimentary closing, and signature. Isn’t it interesting what we retain (or fail to retain) from childhood?

Applying that basic analysis to the New Testament epistles, we are greatly helped. In addition to reading who it is from (1:1) and who it is to (1:2), we have a heading (helped by the information in verse 2), greeting (1:3), body (1:4-16:18), complimentary closing (16:19-20, 22-24), and signature (16:21). It is also in this first section of the letter (1:1-17) that we find the purpose of the letter. Notice some key aspects of these first several verses.

PAUL REMINDS THEM OF WHO THEY ARE (1:2-3)

In the daily grind, I can be apt to forget exactly who I am and who God has called me to be. It seems this had happened to the entire congregation at Corinth. Paul starts out this letter by reminding them they belong to God, set apart, and recipients of grace and peace. 

PAUL TELLS THEM WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR THEM (1:4-9)

Except for Galatians, Paul begins his letters with a prayer, blessing, or thanksgiving. Here, Paul reminds them of how blessed they are–with grace (1:4), riches (1:5), confirmation (1:6), various blessings (1:7), hope (1:8), and fellowship with the Father and Son (1:9). I don’t know about you, but I often need to be reminded of how mindful the Lord has been of me. I need to reflect on my blessings so I won’t obsess over my problems. Paul is going to be addressing a serious problem in their lives, but he starts by centering their focus on their spiritual treasures. 

PAUL URGES SOMETHING OF THEM (1:10-17)

One of the ways a New Testament writer indicated the purpose of his writing is through petition verbs. While Paul actually uses a petition verb three times in this letter (1:10, 4:16, and 16:15), there’s no doubt that his first usage sets the tone for the rest of the letter. They have a big problem at Corinth: division. We will see this in greater detail as we walk through the letter, but their division was seen in their allegiances to men instead of Christ, in their worship services, in their exercise of spiritual gifts, in their exercise of their Christian liberties, in their view on various sins, and more. So, Paul brings them into focus here.

  • He urges them to be complete, by being of the same mind and judgment (1:10).
  • He urges them to see the true nature of Christ (1:11-13).
  • He urges them to focus on the gospel and the cross (1:14-17). 

Keep in mind, as we read through this letter, that God had something He wanted Corinth and all subsequent churches and Christians facing the same general struggle to understand. It requires us to keep sight of our identity, blessings, and purpose. Otherwise, we open the door to division which can be the gateway to “disorder and every evil thing” (Jas. 3:16). 

The Heavenly Lifeboat

The Heavenly Lifeboat

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Art Shannon

In Belfast, Ireland, in the Spring of 1909, approximately 20000 workers began construction on a ship for the White Star Company of which U.S. mogul J.P. Morgan was a major stockholder. This vessel was designed to be bigger and better than anything currently out there on the market. When completed three years later, it would measure an impressive 10 decks high and three football fields long. 

This ship was named the RMS Titanic and was lauded worldwide for its grandeur. Superlatives such as opulent, luxurious, elegant, lavish, grand, and elegant were used to describe it. Ticket prices ranged from $35-$4300. It could accommodate 1500 passengers and 750 crew members. 

On April 10, 1912, it set out on its maiden voyage from England to New York. Within three hours, the bow was submerged and chaos ensued as people were scrambling to get on one of the 16 lifeboats or four collapsible boats. Only one ship, The Carpathia, responded to distress signals in those early morning hours and it picked up as many Titanic passengers as possible. The rough waters and frigid temps made survival difficult.

By daybreak on April 15, 1912, the world was waking up to news of the worst maritime disaster in history. The New York Times headline read: “Saved–866  Probably Drowned–1254.” In the days that followed, final estimates recorded 32% survivors and 68% fatalities. 

I would imagine that 99% of the 2200 souls onboard the Titanic thought they were totally safe before the iceberg pierced the right side of the hull just below the waterline. How many of the 2200 were spiritually prepared for possible death? How many of us are?

If there were to be a newspaper headline following Judgment Day, which column do you want your name? Saved or lost? I think of the Book of Life somewhat as a headline. Revelation 20:12-13 says that those whose name is not written there are cast into a lake of fire. Matthew 7:13-14 tells us about the broad gate that leads to destruction or the narrow gate that leads to life. 

Later, in Matthew 7:21, it tells us that not everyone who thinks they are going to heaven will enter the kingdom, but those who do the will of the Father. Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” We are not promised tomorrow, but we do have the here and now. 

God offers each of us a “lifeboat” like no other with His Holy Word. It is up to us and our free will if we will accept His invitation and desire for us to be part of His heavenly home. The good news is each of us, as long as we have breath, have the ability to “write” our final headline of lost or saved. 2 Peter 1:10 tells us to make our calling and election sure, whether the need is to get into our heavenly lifeboat or adjust our life vest. 

The Meat

The Meat

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Gary Pollard

There were some members of the early church who had difficulty accepting some of the basic teachings of Christianity. The Hebrews writer told them, “We have many things to tell you about this. But it’s hard to explain because you’ve stopped trying to understand. You’ve had enough time by now that you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God’s teaching. You still need the teaching that is like milk. … Anyone who lives on this is still a baby and not able to understand much about living right. But solid food is for people who have grown up. From their experience they’ve learned to see the difference between good and evil” (Hb 5.11-14). 

What’s the basic stuff that prevents us from being mature? 

6.2 — Baptisms. This is probably Jewish washings and other irrelevant customs from the old system. They should’ve been past this by now. 

6.2 — This one doesn’t really apply to us today, but “laying hands on people”, usually to give them God’s blessing or supernatural power. 

6.2 — The resurrection of the dead and final judgment. 

These basics should be a given for every Christian. The Hebrews writer’s audience had “had enough time by now to become teachers” only a couple decades after Jesus’s work. It’s been about 2,000 years for us. We have no excuse to be stuck in the basics! 

So what should we be doing? 

Hebrews 7-10 — Understand that Jesus is far superior to any other system of belief, he’s in the highest position of power in the universe, he lives to serve as our perfect high priest, the old system (Old Law) is irrelevant now (8.13), that Jesus’s sacrifice cleared humanity of how the Old Law convicted us of sin (9.15), understand that his return means rescue for those of us who are waiting for him (9.28), to think about and encourage each other to show love and do good things for other people (10.24-39), and to never lose our confidence in the power of our king (10-11). 

This is a very simplified list for the sake of brevity, but a mature Christian tries hard to be like Jesus in how they live. They don’t give in when pressured by circumstance to deny Jesus through bad behavior. They accept suffering with grace and patience. Their confidence in who Jesus is and what he will do for us is never severely shaken. Their love for Christian family compels them to do good for them, and to encourage them by living like Jesus. 

Let God Work

Let God Work

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Gary Pollard

I often wonder why the country seems to be falling apart, despite what most people want. There is no popular support for many of those things, or for the people causing those problems. What happened to competence and pride in our work? Why does everything cost more while quality has tanked? Why does it seem like so many people care only about themselves now? We have a space program, but the average high schooler is nearly illiterate. Where did this two-tier justice system come from? Why can government agencies lose trillions of dollars (and fail six audits) and be ok, but the average citizen loses their freedom for many orders of magnitude less? On that note, where did all of our freedom go?! Why are taxes, bloated regulatory codes, and constitutional violations the norm? I’m still pretty young — why is the divorce rate in my generation so staggeringly high? 

Most people I’ve talked to seem to feel the same way: it’s going to take serious upheaval to correct this problem. For awhile, I agreed. But I think I’ve been looking at our problems incorrectly this whole time. These may not be problems we can fix, but I don’t mean this in a pessimistic sense. 

Look at Isaiah, draw your own conclusions. This was a message specifically to ancient Judah/Jerusalem, but the narrative and methods God uses have not changed. Replace the towns in these statements with your own country’s name. 

“This is what the Lord says: ‘I raised my children and helped them grow up, but they have turned against me’” (1.2). 

“When you raise your arms to pray to me, I will refuse to look at you. You will say more and more prayers, but I will refuse to listen because your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Stop doing the evil things I see you do. Stop doing wrong. Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court” (1.15-17). 

“Look at [insert your city here]. She was a faithful city. What made her become like a prostitute? In the past, [she] was filled with justice, and goodness should live there now. Instead, there are murderers” (1.21). I recommend reading all of chapters one through three. 

“The Lord God All-Powerful will take away everything [your cities] depend on. He will take away all the food and water. He will take away all the heroes and soldiers. He will take away all the judges, the prophets, the fortunetellers, and the elders. He will take away the army officers and important officials. He will take away the skilled counselors, the magicians, and those who try to tell the future. He says, ‘I will put young boys in charge of you. They will be your leaders. The people will turn against each other. Young people will not respect those who are older. The common people will not respect important leaders’” (3.1-5). 

All hope is not lost, though: “I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow” (1.18). 

The problems in our country (and every country) are not ones we can necessarily fix with policy changes or better political leaders or societal upheaval. We have a systemic sin problem, and God only ever does the right thing. Judah and Jerusalem suffered because they constantly harmed the innocent with their business and legal practices. They suffered because their people left God. There are still many good people in this country who want to do what God wants! But if God is punishing us, we may want to think twice about attempting to block his justice.  

Christian Basics (II)

Christian Basics (II)

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Gary Pollard
  • It doesn’t matter how much bible knowledge a person has — if they don’t love other people, their knowledge is worthless (cf. I Cor 8.1; 13.1-3). 
  • Hating a Christian brother or sister disqualifies a person from eternal life (I Jn 4.20). 
  • Christianity has many gray-area freedoms that make some people uncomfortable. For either side of an issue: “Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas” (Rom 14.1).
    • And, “Why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all … So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do” (Rom 14.10, 12). 
    • And, “So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith” (14.13). 
    • And, “Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil” (16). 
    • And, “Let’s try as hard as we can to do what will bring peace. Let’s do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith” (19). 
    • Finally, “You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty” (Rom 14.22). 
  • Perhaps the biggest aspect of Jesus’s sacrifice was to become human and stay that way for our sake (cf. I Tim 2.5; Phil 3.20-21; I Jn 3.2-3). He is still human now, though in the kind of perfect body we’ll enjoy when he comes back for us. 
  • God never calls Christians to publicly protest the evil behavior practiced by the world. In fact, he expects the opposite from his children (I Tim 2.1-4; I Cor 6.2; Rom 13.2; I Pt 2.11-17). 
Planning And Preparing

Planning And Preparing

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Brady Baughman

Usually, people fall into 1 of 2 categories: List makers and everyone else and I don’t know what their collective is since I’ve never seen it written down. Now, myself being an introvert, I fall into the list maker category. I’m not obsessive about keeping a physical list, but a mental list is always there to almost a point of paranoia. But this list is necessary.

Me being an introvert, I need to have mentally prepared myself for what is going to happen. If there is a surprise I could freeze up. In order for me to be productive and effective I have to be prepared and anticipate all that is going to happen that day. This leads us into the lesson of being prepared for our future, specifically, by our past planning and future execution with our decisions at a high level overview.

Look with me in 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:12-18.
[12] Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. [14] And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. [15] We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. [16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. [18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

The part that I want to key in on is in vs 17. Now let’s look at vs 17 again with another lens. vs 17, if Christ has not been raised then your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. The other lens would say that a life of sin and without Christ is futile. Our whole existence, purpose, importance, any other strong words that you would want to add to that list, is futile.

Mounce defines futile as idle, ineffective, worthless, 1Co 3:20; groundless, deceptive, fallacious, 1Co 15:17; useless, fruitless, unprofitable. Reinforcing the idea throughout Scripture that without Christ what we do is useless.

If we continue reading the rest of 1 Corinthians 15 we see the importance of being baptized in ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:22‬, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” And in verse 29 we see Paul asking the question if Jesus was dead what would be the benefit of baptism. It is Christ’s resurrection that gives us victory over death as we see Paul saying in 54 and 55 which is also a quote from Hosanna 13:14. Verse 56 explains briefly the relationship between law and sin, but Christ gives us victory.

So back to verse 17. If we believe in Christ then our life has and is a purpose. Whether it be our past selves or our current selves we know how our plans and preparedness set us up for our future. Are we prepared and ready? Have we done what is needed to secure our plans and not be surprised by our eternity. The great thing about this is we hold all the control in what we decide to do. We are running the race and all we have to do is finish, not be first.

The Profound Power of Forgiveness

The Profound Power of Forgiveness

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Brent Pollard

Recently, I received fantastic news that the Department of Education has wiped out my massive student debt. Like millions of other people, I was still making payments on my student loans. So, my debt wasn’t unique. However, my inability to work due to my disability has made it difficult to make progress toward paying off that debt. I have been participating in the gig economy since 2013, and I must ensure that my assets stay within a specific limit to maintain my health insurance coverage.

When you are on a fixed income, you cannot afford to pay the DOE several hundred dollars monthly. Your loan quickly becomes delinquent. Thus, you can imagine my elation when I recently received an email stating, “The Biden-Harris Administration has forgiven your federal student loan.” My mom joked that the DOE included this information so I would know who to thank in 2024. Whatever the case, her words reminded me of Jesus’ Parable of the Two Debtors. 

And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty. When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” (Luke 7.40-43 NASB)

The Humanity of Judgment

Let’s analyze this parable in its original setting of Luke 7.36-50 and draw some conclusions. The action takes place in the house of a Pharisee. During the meal, a woman notorious for her sins comes up to Jesus and offers Him a profoundly loving and humbling gesture. Simon, a Pharisee, interrupts this moving scene because he cannot overlook the woman’s sins. This reaction serves as a sobering reminder that it’s easy to become like Simon—quick to judge and blind to the splendor of the present because we’re stuck in our preconceived notions.

The Parable of Two Debtors 

Knowing that people were passing judgment on the woman, Jesus tells a simple parable. Two debtors, unable to make payments, have their balances wiped clean by their moneylender. Jesus’ question, “Which of them will love him more?” is profound. Gratitude is the topic of this inquiry. It’s about acknowledging our complete dependence on God and the immensity of His grace toward us. If someone fully comprehends the magnitude of their debt, receiving forgiveness can often overwhelm them with emotion.

The Depth of Love

The unidentified woman showed Jesus not only love but also profound comprehension and gratitude. Grace was something she realized she needed. Her tears reveal her sorrow, and her deeds reveal her love. Unlike Simon, who failed to extend basic courtesies, this woman lavished love on Jesus. She did this not because she felt like she should but because she deeply understood who Jesus is and what He offers.

Forgiveness, the Heart of the Gospel

The words Jesus spoke to the woman, “Your sins have been forgiven,” capture the essence of the Gospel and its power. The love of God brings restoration and redemption. Our faith in Jesus enables us to experience transformative forgiveness as a reminder. The guests’ question, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” exemplifies the revolutionary nature of Jesus’ message and mission.

A Call to Love and Recognize

The story concludes with a decisive mandate: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” It’s a call to reckon with our debts, comprehend the immensity of God’s mercy, and respond with profound, genuine, and transformative love.

In Conclusion

Do we love with the same depth and enthusiasm demonstrated by the woman in the Gospel? Or do we hastily pass judgment like Simon? Simon could not recognize the vastness of his debt but was acutely aware of the woman’s transgressions. His narrow perspective caused him to overlook the basic courtesies expected of a host. On the other hand, the woman was mindful of her need for grace, which led her to make a costly sacrifice by anointing Jesus.

Let us pray that Christ’s boundless love and forgiveness reshape us. May we recognize our need for grace and be ever receptive to His love, becoming instruments of His grace for all around us.