Taking a Selfie

 

 

 

 

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

In the Gospel of Luke, there is a story that compares the actions of an "obvious sinner" with the actions of the "obvious righteous." Luke 7:47 says, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little, loves little.”  It is not that this "obvious sinner" obtained forgiveness because of her love. It is that she loves because she knows she has been forgiven.

The ease with which I am able to forgive is a good mirror - or selfie - of how much I recognize that I have been forgiven. My love for God and others is directly proportional to the amount I have been forgiven. In order to have the ability to forgive others, I must first recognize how much I have been forgiven. That means I need to take a good, hard look at my own trespasses, debts, sins.

I don’t want to look at my own sin. I want to think of myself as a good person. I want to believe I have always been a good person. But in the first lines of the Lord’s Prayer, I just took a look at who God is. In comparing myself to Him, I see my trespasses clearly.

My Swedish rye bread just took Best in Show at our county fair. I can look at that accomplishment and think of myself as a great baker. But we have a tiny fair. How well would I have done against the famous French baker, Michel Galloyer? Hmm…

God I want my relationship with You to be one without guilt. I want to know your grace and mercy. I want to know we are in good standing. You are not holding the lien papers. If I am unable to forgive others, it is an indication that either I don’t think I have sinned or that I have not accepted the gift of God’s forgiveness and I am trying to repay my debt on my own.

I have been forgiven – what is owed has been given. If I recognize that, I can do the same for others.

If I want to reach the world for Jesus, what better way is there than to show forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it. In doing that, I am demonstrating the love of God.

Looking into the mirror this morning, taking a selfie, and holding the image as I walk the straight crooked path.