Last night I heard a
really good message. It was on a topic I have been thinking about/ praying
about/ wanting to write about for a long time. Every time I sat down to write
it though I couldn’t write out my thoughts. Sometimes I was trying to do it out
of spite, and I know that’s why it never worked out.
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted
in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luke 18:9
This parable was taught to a group of people who thought
they were pretty good, and looked down on anyone who didn’t live up to their
{*man-made*} standards.
/////
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,
God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican.
I fast twice in
the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke 18:11-12
The Pharisee is a
pretty good guy –on the outside at least. He fasted, tithed, and probably held
a position of authority. But, this good guy had a problem- a MAJOR problem.
His problem was PRIDE. He thought he was better. He thought
that his being better gave him certain rights and positions. He thought he
deserved respect from everyone who was “below his station”. He thought he was
more spiritual.
But he wasn’t. You see, Pride is on Gods hate list. A proud
look to be exact- which is exactly what the Pharisee had…
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him:
A proud look.
Proverbs 6:16-17a
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil:
pride.
Proverbs 8:13a
Pride is evil. If we fear the LORD we will hate pride with a
passion.
\\\\\
The Publican is a very different man. He is so moved, so
contrite, so ashamed, that he will not even look up. He was repentant, and
simply asked for Gods mercy.
But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful,
slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Nehemiah 9:17b
for thou art a gracious and merciful
God.
Nehemiah 9:31b
^^^^^^^^^^this man^^^^^^^^^^ was the one who went home
justified. He was the one who went home a forgiven, and changed man.
|||||
I think a lot of people {myself included} often fall into a
trap of looking down on other people if they aren’t “up to par”. It becomes a
nasty habit. This habit ends up hurting people, wounding them, pushing them
away, and we rarely ever even realize it…
One of the biggest problems we have is when people aren’t as
conservative as us. We are agast when someone doesn’t live as set apart or as
“holy” as we do. We drive them into the ground and treat them like dirty rotten
sinners. We think we are better, more holy, more spiritual, and somehow higher
up {as though God has a scale} just because we “follow God better”.
What we forget about is the fact that Jesus died for these people.
If these people have excepted his gift of salvation, then God has forgiven
them, and we are supposed to show love, not pride{hate}.
I know a lot of not-so-conservative Christians who are
better than me{and those people who call themselves my friends}. They are humble.
{which in and of itself is more than I can say for most of my “friends”} They
speak out against wrong, and they take risks.
Honestly, peoples
standards- the way they live- is between them and God, NOT between them and us.
We have no business
being prideful, or thinking we are better!
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