“A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Luke 7:41-43
There’s a downside to having lived a fairly godly life. (That’s a dangerous statement. And those who agree with me in saying this will need to pay particular attention to parables told by Jesus to and about Pharisees.) People who feel that their whole lives have been pretty much lived with a knowledge of God, and an obedience to God, may get shorted in loving God. How?
Jesus asked the disciples about our tendency to love in response to a kindness given. If one creditor has two debtors who are both totally forgiven of the debt they cannot pay, and one debt is ten times larger than the other, who do you think will love the creditor more? “The one who knows how much they have been forgiven.” Simon seemed to say.
I guess when it comes to loving God, we need to realize that we ALL have been forgiven COMPLETELY.
I remember a song about Jesus that we sang in youth group that went:
“He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay… “
When we realize our spiritual bankruptcy, that even when we offer our best we bring nothing to the salvation equation, we love God for claiming and saving us totally.
God, Your steadfast love for me is beyond my comprehension. You love me when I may appear unlovable, and when I am most undeserving. Let my love for You build each day as I realize what You have done for me in Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.