+DEV+ Which One Am I?

Date: April 5, 2011 11:29 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Which One Am I?

Which One Am I?

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
Scripture Focus: Luke 18:9-17

Jesus told the story of two men who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee thanked God that he was righteous while the tax collector asked for mercy as a sinner. I know I definitely have the first man's self-exalting tendencies, and I've learned how impossible it is to try to stamp out my pride. It turns my focus inward, away from God, and gets me tangled up in my own thoughts and feelings.

Instead I've realized I can simply admit before the Lord that I am a proud sinner with a tendency to feel superior. Rather than trying to make myself worthy, I can accept that I'm unworthy because of my pride and all my other unlovely thoughts. Imagine the Pharisee saying, "Lord be merciful to me, for I think I am better than this other man." What sweet music to the ears of God those words would have been. He sent his Son to die for sinners, and when we take the sinner's place at the foot of the cross, His grace comes down to meet us there.

Insight: "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3).