Devotionals by Jill Briscoe

“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

Have you ever wanted to love God more and wondered how to do it? In Luke 7 we are introduced to a woman who had been forgiven much.

Her action of kneeling behind Jesus, and anointing and kissing his feet, took much courage for this “immoral” woman (Luke 7:37). Her need and desire for forgiveness gave her the courage. Her outpouring of love was an expression of profound sorrow for her sin and perhaps gratefulness that she could be forgiven. Jesus made the point that because her many sins had been forgiven, she was showing “much love” (Luke 7:47). Jesus publicly affirmed her forgiveness, then added, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

When we experience God’s forgiveness for the many sins we have committed, our love response will depend on our realization of the seriousness of sin and what it cost the Lord Jesus to put it right. When I was a new convert to Christianity, I looked at my life through God’s eyes. As I read the Scriptures and thought about the Cross, I began to be thoroughly upset by the fact that my sins were the reason for his death. Yes, I had been forgiven much, and the more I recognized my need of a Savior and his willingness to forgive me, the more my love for him grew.

Ask the Lord to show you the depths of your sin and what it cost the Lord Jesus to forgive you. The depths of his redeeming love will deepen your own love response to him.

For Further Study: Luke 7:36-50

Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.

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