Who Loves More - Day 91 Month 4-1 Week 13-7

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)


Numbers 3:40-4:28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%203%3A40-4%3A28&version=NASB1995

Psalm 74:1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2074%3A1-11&version=NASB1995

Isaiah 65:1-12 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2065%3A1-12&version=NASB1995

Luke 7:40-8:15 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207%3A40-8%3A15&version=NASB1995


Who Loves More?


I think we Canadians are fortunate that we have public health care.  That means we don’t have to worry about money or carry expensive health insurance in the circumstance that anyone close to us is sick.  It doesn’t mean that someone visiting Canada gets free health care.  I read, just recently, that someone was visiting family here in Canada and did not have travel medical insurance.  She became very ill while she was here and spent several days in intensive care.  The family ended up with a bill over $100,000 dollars.  So I started to ask myself how much impact that would have on a family.  I suppose the same thing could happen if I am visiting another country and I neglected to get travel health insurance.


No matter how you look at it, $100,000 is a lot of money and unless you are part of the top 20% of income earners, that amount can seem impossible to pay back.  Sometimes, if a person owns their home they could take out a mortgage but not all can do that.  Just imagine what would happen in this circumstance if you were suddenly faced with a $100,000 bill and you couldn’t pay it and you did not have the means to do it.  You decide to call the creditor with the intention of asking if there is some other way or if there’s a chance that the bill could be reduced and to your surprise, the creditor says “it shows you paid the bill yesterday.”  There is nothing you owe us.” Can you imagine how you would feel hearing that news?


Now imagine you have a car and that car has been very good to you and you’ve almost got it paid off.  It is just one month past the end of the warranty period and something seems wrong with the car.  You take it to the dealership and just as you are pulling in, the car dies.  It turns out that something happened in the engine and the engine needs replacement.  The cost of the repair will be $10,000.  You can’t afford to get the work done until you save up and it could take 6 months to a year.  You can get to work on public transit but it’s going to be very difficult.  You figure out a 6 month plan and decide to call the dealership.   Just as you are about to pick up the phone, the phone rings.  It’s the dealership.  They tell you your car is ready and you can pick it up.  Frustrated, you explain you can’t pay for it right away and you don’t know what to do since they’ve gone ahead with the repairs without permission.  The person on the other end of the phone tells you it’s already paid for by someone.  You would also be thrilled, relieved, and very grateful.  Though both of these debts are impacting, I suspect the person who was forgiven the $100,000 will love the person that paid the debt more than the person with the $10,000 debt.   It’s a poor illustration but it’s what Jesus was getting at in Luke 7:40-50.


As I was specifically pondering verses Luke 7:47-48, one of the things I’ve come to realize in my 54 years of being a Jesus follower is that I have loved Jesus less than people who I have met who have been rescued by Jesus from deeper pits of sin and despair later in life.  I truly want to be more loving to Jesus and my intentions are good. A person placing their trust and life in Jesus as an adult after a life of independence from God is usually radically passionate about following Jesus and living their faith out loud. I, for one, strive to be as deeply committed to Jesus, practicing my faith out loud in both words and deeds as those new Jesus followers.  I am forever thankful that God has rescued me and those others.  The real bonus is, not only has Jesus forgiven our huge debt of sin but He has also given us a free gift of life in His Kingdom here and now and beyond the grave..


Have a great Day

Steve

steve.d.pauls@gmail.com 


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