“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” (Luke 7:41-43 NKJV).
When my daughter was young we had a bedtime ritual that involved a competition of declaring who loved the most.
“Good night Erin. I love you.” I’d say, beginning the nightly ritual.
“Good night Daddy, I love you MORE!” She’d say, while leaning over my recliner to kiss my offered cheek.
“No, I love you the MOST!” I’d reply, quickly turning my face towards her, surprising her into kissing me on the lips (she still holds onto my face when she kisses me on the cheek to avoid this surprising possibility).
“No Daddy. I love you the MOSTEST! She’d exclaim. “I love you this much!” She’d quickly add, while extending her arms outward as far as she could reach.
Jesus once told a story about the one who would love God more. He said that the one who was “forgiven more” would love more.
According to Jesus, our capacity for love is measured by our receptivity for and awareness of God’s forgiveness. When we recognize our own great need for forgiveness and receive the gift of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sin, we become recipients of his great love. Receiving this great forgiveness opens our hearts to God’s love for us, and through us to others.
Do you love more?
This is an edited reprint of my blog from October 1, 2009.
The love of a child is sometimes breathtaking when we think of the blessing we are given. Thank you for the awesome reminder that God is our Father and his love is beyond words for his children. He is amazing and has granted us with life eternal! WOW – Yes I love him more, but he loves us the MOSTEST 🙂
Enjoyed this message!! May the Lord continue to bless you and your family!!