In Luke 18 Jesus tells a story of two men. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. One represented the world we live in and the other represented the life Jesus wants us to live. Let me reference the Scripture and then let’s take a journey to find out where we live.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: God, I thank you that I am not like other men— robbers, evildoers, adulterers— or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “ God,have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified ( not guilty) before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18
Kyle Idleman’s book “The End of Me” talks about how these two men are headed in opposite directions. Kyle describes the Pharisee: people looked up to them because they were sold out, committed to the Hebrew law, and tended to be upstanding, educated, and influential. We’d place them at the top of the social scale. Now the tax collector was looked down upon. He was like an IRS agent who belonged to a terror cell. He collected taxes for the Romans and took his share as well. He was basically a traitor and a legalized thief.
Nobody wants to get on the bad side of God. So Kyle tells us, YOU MAY BE A PHARISEE IF you catch yourself saying ….
(1) You aren’t going to talk like to me (pride makes us defensive and unwilling to hear criticism)
(2) I am not going to be the one to apologize (proud people are obsessive about being undefeated in arguments)
(3) It’s not fair (if you have a hard time celebrating with others successes , you are probably suffering from a case of pride)
(4) Did you hear about (other people and their antics are convenient steps to climb on journey to the top of the human heap)
(5) I don’t need anybody’s help (he wants to let God know he has everything under control)
(6) It’s not me; it’s you (they can’t see the pride in their life because of the pride in their life)
Let’s look at the other guy, the tax collector. Notice the body language:
(1) He stood at a distance (when you are putting on a show, you never stand at a distance)
(2) He beat his breast (he is in touch with his unworthiness before God)
(3) He prays “God, have mercy on me” (he knows who he his and just who God is)
(4) He means it.
Now which one are you? Are you congratulating God for having you as a child? Or are you thanking God that He let you the family?
This story is all about pride vs humility. James 4:6 God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Read that scripture above again….. Something to ponder.
Mr. Wes
REUP 