From Rags to Righteous

"He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:43-47

This story really spoke to me today particularly because I was in a situation where I feel like I just didn't measure up and am not good enough. I think that this comes about when are too hard on ourselves. This women poured out expensive fragrance on Jesus feet and to me that symbolizes us laying down all of the things that we most value at the feet of Jesus. I pondered the question, what are we looking to rather than God and I believe it is something that you can’t imagine not having. You need to go down the list and say Lord if I don’t have his I will still worship you and that is what God wants for us, to trust that whatever comes or goes He still has a plan and it is a perfect plan. If not we can become like the Pharisees that did not even spare olive oil to anoint the head of Jesus, but held onto it because they did not see the value that Christ had. However this women acknowledged her unrighteousness, God was able to forgive her and this is something that is not easy to do but once you realize how much God forgives, it will allow you to see God’s love more and thus share that love to others.

She is a model of how a person who is rejected by the so called "righteous" can have a personal relationship with God and actually be righteous! and I don’t know about you but I feel like that is something I needed to know because a lot of times we we feel as if don’t fit into the world, but the good thing is that God doesn’t call us to fit in but he calls us to love him and believe in him and that should be enough to sustain us. like it says in Hebrews 13:14 "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." We have an eternal home in heaven and the more we seek the kingdom of God, the less you start fitting into the world.

Prayer

Lord I pray that today I lay down my shame at the foot of the cross, that I will believe that you are all that I need and I will look to you and only you as my provider and my source. I pray that I do not allow my circumstance dictate the way I feel about you or the way I feel about myself because you offer freedom at the cross. Allow me to believe in the power that the cross hold on to that I no longer hold on to my pass and give me knowledge of where I have sinned against you, so that I may repent. Lord I believe you are good because you are God and that you hold my future in your hands and let that be enough to sustain me, in Jesus name, amen.