Good Morning Friends,
"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 before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles himself will be exalted.'" (Luke 18:9-14)
The principle is: those who are proud of their
own righteousness are far from God and those who acknowledge their own
sinfulness are closer to Him.
There isn't a man or woman who has ever lived (except
Jesus) who could come to God on the basis of his or her own righteousness. Those
who have tried are always turned away. It isn't until a person understands the
depth of his own sin that he is ready to come to God. The truth is that the way
to God is not to seek a reward for your righteousness, but to seek grace and
mercy from Him.
The Pharisees thought they were okay with God,
they considered themselves to be doing all they needed to do to please God. How
wrong they were! No one can make that kind of claim. All of us fall far short of the standards
required to reach God on the basis of what we do.
The tax collector knew very well that he wasn't
living up to God's standards. He knew his own sinfulness. The only hope he had
was in God's forgiveness. That's the only hope any of us has!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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