7th Floor Devotional Day 7: ”Where Acceptance and Grace Meet”

DEVOTIONAL DAY 7 - “Where Acceptance and Grace Meet.”

There is a fantastic account of a dinner with Jesus in Luke 7, where grace and acceptance meet in an extraordinary way. Let's read it together.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, He went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 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.

When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." So Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.

"Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

This is a beautiful example of radical hospitality that overflows with acceptance and is filled with generous grace. Simon found it hard to understand, but that is the magic of Jesus' love for people. We are quick to judge those we do not understand, but radical hospitality welcomes the broken and, like Jesus, offers them acceptance and grace. Can you imagine a church that looks like that? This is seventh-floor culture!

So here is your prayer for today: Jesus, thank you for being our ultimate example. Help us to open our hearts to offer acceptance to those we don't understand and shower them with generous grace that brings them nearer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.