Grace For The Sinner

"A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." 
Luke 7:37-38 (NIV)

Picture walking into a room where you know you don't belong. The silence hits you like a wall. Every eye turns. Every conversation stops. That's exactly what happens when this woman enters the Pharisee's house.

She's a prostitute, someone society has written off completely. Yet she dares to enter this lion's den of religious leaders who are ready to devour her. Why? Because she's encountered Jesus before and heard something that changed everything: grace.

Jesus doesn't look at her with judgment but with love. He doesn’t see her guilt, but her worth. What happens next breaks every cultural rule of the day. She weeps uncontrollably, washing His feet with her tears. She lets down her hair—scandalous in that culture—to dry His feet. Then she kisses them and pours costly perfume over them in humble worship.

You might think your past disqualifies you from God's grace. The truth is, your sin is the only thing that qualifies you for His grace. You don't clean up your act first, then receive grace. You receive grace first, then have the power to change.

When shame whispers that you're too far gone, remember this woman. Jesus receives you exactly as you are.

Prayer: Father, thank You for receiving me in my sin. Create in me a heart of worship like this woman's, so I may always come to You with gratitude and wholehearted devotion. In Jesus' Name, Amen.