Loving Much

 “…he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

(Luke 7:47 ESV)

Our tendency is to think we’re good people. Although we acknowledge our sin, we believe we are well intentioned. And we believe that we do far more good than bad.

When we compare ourselves to others, we come off pretty good in our own eyes. We’re always able to find those who are worse, or more sinful, than us. And this enables us to think more highly of ourselves.

When we err, we err on the side of minimizing our sin. We err on the side of overestimating our goodness. We err on the side of self-reliance.

The result of this is that, although we profess faith in the Lord, we have little love for him. We have little trust in him. And we have little need of him.

This is what Jesus is saying in the above passage. However, in the preceding words, he says the opposite. We find that, when we see our sin, when we acknowledge it for what it is, the opposite happens.

When we see our sin, when we understand it, and when we acknowledge it for what it is, we love much. When we trust in Christ and his promise, we love much. And when we receive his forgiveness and mercy, we love much.

This was expressed as a sinful woman came to Jesus. She wet his feet with her tears. She dried them with her hair. And she kissed his feet over and over again.

Jesus, then, assured her that her sins were forgiven. He told her that her faith had saved her. And he told her to go in peace.

This is also the Word, this is the assurance we receive when we come to Jesus. It’s the assurance we receive as we confess to him our sin. And it’s the assurance we receive as we look to him for deliverance.

We’re assured of the forgiveness of our sins. We’re assured that our faith has saved us. And we’re, then, enabled to go forth in peace.

Insulted by the Gospel?

 “She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.””

(‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Each of us has heard the gospel many times. And we understand it. We understand that we’re sinners. We understand that we’re undeserving of forgiveness and salvation. We understand that the only way these blessings have been made available to us is through Jesus and the sacrifice he offered on our behalf.

Yet, as we read the above passage in context, it’s difficult for us. It’s difficult because Jesus seems anything but gracious and merciful. He seems, in fact, to deny this woman in her hour of need.

He ignores her at first. And when he finally does address her, he tells her that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Being a Gentile, this seems to suggest that Jesus would do nothing for her.

Explaining himself, he goes on to say something that seems downright insulting. He tells her that it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. And we struggle with the fact that he addresses her this way.

This woman, however, doesn’t take issue with it in the least. In fact, she acknowledges it. She acknowledges the fact that she is not one of the children of Israel. And, more than that, she acknowledges the fact that she is a dog.

She in no way sought to deny God’s blessing to the people of Israel. And she acknowledges that she is undeserving of his blessing. She acknowledges that she’s in no way entitled to it. 

This is where you and I tend to struggle. We’re reluctant to acknowledge that we’re undeserving of God’s blessing. And we’re unwilling to acknowledge that we’re not, by nature, one of God’s children.

This, to us, is insulting. It’s offensive. And it’s degrading.

However, when the woman acknowledged the reality of her situation, she received exactly what she asked for. She received the blessing of God. She received it as Jesus healed her daughter.

And the same is true of us, as well. When we acknowledge the reality of our situation, Jesus will also grant us his blessing. He'll, then, provide for us exactly what we need.

The Promise

 “But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’””

(‭‭Genesis‬ ‭32‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

In our hour of need, we bring our request to God. We bring it to God in prayer. And, whatever it may be, we ask him to grant it.

But what is the basis of our request? On what grounds do we make our request? What is the justification of our request?

More often than not, we base our request upon our goodness. We base it upon the things we’ve done for the Lord. We base it upon the fact that we’ve trusted in the Lord for a number of years.

The problem with this is that we’re undeserving of God's blessings. The problem is that we can do nothing to merit his blessings. And this is a reality we’re unable to change.

What, then, are we to do? On what basis are we to bring our requests to the Lord? We find the answer in the words of Jacob above.

Jacob offered this prayer as he prepared to meet his brother, Esau. This is the same brother who had desired to kill him. And it was reported that he was coming to meet Jacob with four hundred men.

He was naturally afraid. He was afraid for himself, but also for his wives and children. And he brought this concern to God.

He told the Lord that he was unworthy of the blessings he’d received. But God had made to him a promise. God had promised that he’d make his offspring as the sand of the sea, which could not be counted.

If this promise of God was to be fulfilled, he had to survive. He could not be slaughtered by his brother, along with his family. He, then, appealed to God by this promise.

God is faithful. He does not lie, nor does he change his mind. And, for this reason, when God makes a promise, we know it is certain.

We, then, should follow the example of Jacob. We base our appeals to him not on who we are or what we’ve done. We base it on the promise he’s given us.

He’s promised us salvation. He’s promised us forgiveness and everlasting life. And he sent his Son to provide these blessings for us by his death on the cross.

This, then, is the basis of our appeal. This is the grounds on which we should base each request. And this is to be the justification for each appeal we make.

In the Face of Disappointment

 “When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭29‬:‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Life can sometimes be a disappointment. Not all of it, mind you. But there are often aspects of life that we’d like to be different.

Yet, no matter how often we go to the Lord about it, asking for his help, nothing seems to change. Things remain as disappointing as they’ve always been. And we begin to feel that God is withholding his hand of blessing.

This isn’t true, however, as we see in the above account. Leah found herself in difficult circumstances that never changed. And the Lord’s work in her life can give us hope.

Although she was married, she felt that her husband didn’t want her. He was with her out of obligation. And this caused her great sorrow.

He had, in fact, been deceived into marrying her. He followed through with their marriage to get the wife he truly desired. And this other woman was none other than Leah’s sister.

But, as we look at the above passage, we see something interesting. Even though Leah was hated, even though she was not loved, the Lord blessed her in another way. The Lord opened her womb and blessed her with sons.

Her disappointment didn’t go away. Her desire to be loved by her husband remained. And this, I believe, is normal. It makes sense.

Each time a son was born, Leah hoped that things might get better. She hoped that this might cause her husband to love her. But it didn’t. In fact, it created a rivalry between the sisters to see who could bear more sons for their husband.

However, the fact remains that, although Leah was never loved, although she was never desired, God blessed her in ways outside of a husband’s love. He blessed her with many children and descendants. Jesus, in fact, was born of the line of Leah.

The same can be true in these areas of our own lives. Even if these disappointments never end or never get better, God can bless us in spite of them. And he often does.

Perhaps our family life is far from ideal. But God may bless us in terms of our service, and the lives we touch. Perhaps we never find satisfaction in our work, but God blesses us in terms of family. The examples are endless.

The point is that, in spite of our disappointments, God has not forgotten us. He has not withheld his hand of blessing. He blesses us in spite of them and in ways we’d never imagine.

The greatest blessing, of course, is that of forgiveness and life everlasting. Even if this life remains disappointing, we have a great hope. He’s prepared for us an eternity where all of these disappointments will be no more.

An Undeserved Promise

 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

(Genesis 28:15 ESV)

The passage above is a promise of God, given to Jacob. It’s a promise of God given to a man whose very name means “he cheats.” It means “supplanter.” And it refers to one who overreaches.

He was given this name because, as he was born, he was grasping the heel of his twin brother. It seemed to his parents that he was grasping for that which rightfully belonged to his brother. It seemed to them that he was grasping for that which was not his.

Not only was this their perception, and not only was this his name, it’s also something we see in his character. We learn that he took advantage of his brother to gain his birthright. And he later went along with a scheme of his mother to gain his father’s blessing.

Now, in one sense, it’s commendable that he sought God’s blessing. And it was, in fact, God’s will that Jacob would receive it. But the way he went about it was far from noble.

Yet, even though this is true, God spoke these words to Jacob. As he fled his brother’s hatred and threats, God spoke to him these words. He received this promise of God, of which he was completely undeserving.

And that’s exactly the point. He in no way deserved the promise of God. He in no way deserved the blessing of God. It was given to him by grace.

This is reassuring to us. It’s reassuring because, like Jacob, we seek God’s blessings in all the wrong ways. Rather than trusting in God, we seek to gain them for ourselves. We rely on our own wisdom and efforts, no matter how sinful they might be, to gain what we desire.

But even though this is true, even though we are sinners undeserving of God’s blessing, he’s given to us his promise. And he’s done everything necessary to ensure our blessing. He’s done everything necessary to make it possible.

He sent Jesus into the world, who atoned for our sin by his death on the cross. And because of him, God’s blessing has been made available for us. It’s been provided for us.

Like Jacob, we need only to trust in the Lord. We need only to trust in his work. We need only to trust in his promise.

God, after all, is faithful. As he assured Jacob, he will not leave us until he’s done what he promised us. He will be with us until his promises are fulfilled.

Worse Than an Unbeliever

 “Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.””

(Genesis 26:10 ESV)

Believers are often criticized for their hypocrisy. They are maligned for their failure to live according to their beliefs. And they’re condemned because their lives are seemingly no better than those of unbelievers.

And not only is this true. In many cases, the lives of unbelievers appear to be more righteous than those of believers. It seems that the unbelieving are better or more righteous than Christians.

We see an example of this in Genesis 26. After the death of Abraham, Isaac repeated a sin of his father. Fearing for his own life, he told those among whom he lived that Rebekah, his wife, was his sister. And he asked her to say the same.

When his lie was discovered, he was corrected. And he was corrected, in fact, by an unbeliever. It seems that this unbeliever was more concerned about righteous behavior than Isaac, who bore the promise of God.

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon in the least. We often find unbelievers who are more concerned about righteousness than believers. And we find unbelievers who appear to do more good than believers.

We must remember that we all bear the sinful nature. This is true of believers and unbelievers alike. And for this reason, even as Christians, we will commit acts of sin and struggle with sinful tendencies.

We, of course, must not condone the sin of any. And we must not dismiss someone’s sin simply because he professes faith in Jesus. But this reality does remind us of the source of our salvation. 

It reminds us that the blessing of God is not something we deserve, nor is it something we earn. It was provided for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And it’s received through faith in the promise of God.

In the case of Isaac, we’re looking at one sin. We don’t know if his life was truly more sinful than that of the unbeliever who called him to account. He may have lived a “better” life.

But, again, this isn’t what saved him. And it’s not what saves us. As those who have received the promise of God, we receive salvation as we believe God’s promise. This, Scripture says, is counted to us as righteousness.

Outside of God's Blessing?

 “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.””

(‭‭Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

There’s no question that the promises, given to us by God, are incredible. They’re fantastic. They sound almost too good to be true. 

After all, who wouldn’t want their sins forgiven? Who wouldn’t want the blessing of life everlasting in God’s presence? And who wouldn’t want to be delivered from the devil?

For this reason, as we hear God’s promises, we receive them eagerly. We receive them with joy. And we look forward to their fulfillment.

However, as we live here in this world, we often feel that we’re outside of God’s blessing. We feel that, perhaps, God has changed his mind. Our circumstances seem to suggest that we’re under his judgment rather than his blessing.

I’m sure that Abraham felt this way in the passage above. God, after all, had given him a wonderful promise. He’d promised Abraham a son, an heir. He’d promised that his descendents would possess the land of Canaan. And he promised that the entire would be blessed through him.

Even though he was old, and even though Sarah was well past the age of child bearing, God gave to them a son. And Abraham was told that it was through this child that his offspring would be named. It was through this child that God’s promises would be fulfilled.

God, then, called on Abraham to do something that would, seemingly, undermine this promise. He called him to sacrifice this child. He called on him to offer him as a burnt offering to the Lord. 

How would Abraham become a great nation without Isaac? How would his descendents inherit the land of Canaan? And how would the world be blessed through him?

Had God lied to him? Had God changed his mind? Was God removing from Abraham the blessing he’d both granted and promised?

While we can’t say with certainty what was going through Abraham’s mind, this is what would’ve been going through mine if I were in his shoes. Yet, that being said, Abraham went through with it. He demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice Isaac according to God’s instructions.

How could he do so? This is answered for us in Hebrews 11. Starting in verse 17, of that chapter, we read: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

Even though God’s command seemed to contradict or to undermine his promise, Abraham believed it anyway. He reasoned that, even if he went through with it, God was able to raise the dead. God was able to keep his promise in spite of the way things outwardly looked.

And the same, you see, is true for us. No matter how things may seem, God is able to keep his promise. Although we may not see or understand what he’s doing, or what he will do, we can believe that he is faithful.