Spiritual Lepers

During my prayer time today, the Lord reminded me about the story about the lepers in Luke. Do you remember it? Do you recall how people would avoid the lepers and how they were not good enough to fellowship with society? They were shunned, excommunicated, and feared. Yet, Jesus did not excommunicate them. He didn't shun them. Rather than retreat from them; he approached them! He welcomed them. He loved them! He accepted them! Their disease disgusted people, but Jesus said He loved them. Wow.

Our sin is no different than leprosy. We all suffer from spiritual leprosy. Our sin is just as spiritually disgusting as this illness was physically disgusting. We ALL deserve to be excommunicated, shunned, and feared. Yet, Jesus was moved by compassion towards the lepers. Jesus is moved by compassion towards your situation today as well. Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. Ephesians 2:4-5.

We should follow His example just as he admonishes us to do so in 2 Timothy 2:1. He tells us, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Remember what Jesus tells us in Luke! "He who has been forgiven little loves little. Those who have been forgiven much love much. For sure, we have all been forgiven much. Those that realize the extent of their own sinfulness are able to extend all the more grace. May we all have such awareness.