Pride

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Who is this sinner? The whole parable is contained in verses 9-14. Jesus had just told a story about two men: one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. Both had gone to the temple to pray. The Pharisee talked about how wonderful he was, he boasted about his own righteousness and put down the tax collector. Whereas, the tax collector beat his chest and asked for forgiveness from the Lord. 

The Pharisee had failed to see his own sin: pride. He arrogantly expected God to accept his own pronouncement of righteousness. We do this when we estimate ourselves more righteousness than the friend or person before us who has committed a sin which all know is obvious. Pride is insidious. It infects our hearts and robs us of relationship with God and man, it isolates us, causes us to believe we are better than the next man. Satan’s sin in heaven was pride. It is who he is, and he wishes to take many with him in and outside the church.

Pride has all to do with self. Scripture tells us to humble ourselves, like Jesus, who though He was God took on the role of servant, and in so doing, took our sinful pride to the cross and redeemed us, giving us His purity. The apostle Paul said:’ no one is righteous, no not one’ (Romans 3:10), but ‘ all are justified and made right with God through Jesus’ (Romans 3:24).

Humble people find life that lasts! Amen! Find that life in Jesus!

Never quit

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests! “ Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My Amplified Bible puts verse 1 as: 

Also Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought to always pray and not to turn coward.

So, a coward gives up. He is convinced that what he asked for in prayer was too much for him; wrong for him; not what God wanted for him. Perhaps, God wanted him to have a moulded character before he received what he asked for.

What causes people to give up the prayer? Fear, doubt, discouragement, unbelief, and more. There are some things I have been praying for for over twenty years. Call me stubborn, but until God verbally says “No!” I will keep praying. 

Do you need to renew your stance? Read this whole parable again and pray again. Abraham belived God for a son and did not receive him until he was 100. He tried to help God out by having a son with his wife’s maid. That did not work, God said, “No! I will give you a child of promise.”

Don’t try and manipulate God! Disappointment awaits you if you do. Amen!

The Kingdom

“One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Kingdom to the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews was when The Messiah would come and defeat all of Israel’s enemies. The expectarion was for a militant saviour. However, right in their midst was the saviour of their souls. They failed to discern their desperate need, a need greater than deliverance from the Roman occupation.

As we seek God for our physical needs, our visas, our need for a home, our need for finance, a spouse and so forth what need does our Lord see beyond this earthy need?

He sees into our hearts and minds. Do we need to rest in Him, find His peace, His embrace, His gentle voice? What new vision is He trying to birth in us?

His ways are best! Amen!

Cleansed

“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In Nepal leprosy is still  active. I remember a woman who had lost most her if her fingers to the disease. She was the first person I had met who had suffered leprosy. The reality of what she has suffered came home to me.

These men were all cast out of their communities and homes. They lived by begging and eating scraps of food that they found. They stood a far off from Jesus as they were not permitted to be close to unaffected people. They knew Him and called out asking for mercy. He did not say, ‘be healed’, all he said was ‘go and show yourselves to the priest’. The priest was the one to declare them clean and thus allow them back into community. Scripture tell us as they went they became clean. One man, a Samaratin, returned and bowed at Jesus’ feet thanking Him. Jesus was amazed that the Samaratin, not the Jews, returned.

What a gift the Lord gave these men, a renewed chance to see their families and live again among whole people. What gratitude the Samaratin would have known.

Today, a disease greater than leprosy infects humankind, blindness to our sin and separation from our God. May our eyes be open, and may we call out to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, 

 Just  as these men did. Amen!

Increase our faith

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is interesting that these verses come after Jesus taught on forgiveness. We would also be joining in this request as to continuing forgiving the same person all day, as they repeatedly sin against us and ask forgiveness, is huge.

However, Jesus tells them they have enough faith in the above illustration. They only needed faith as small as a mustard seed, which is very small. So then, what was the problem? Unbelief? Disobedience?

Jesus goes on in verses 7-10 to teach about servanthood and obedience. The lesson Jesus gives is of a servant who has been ploughing in the field and then comes in a prepares dinner. He first feeds his master then himself. This illustration and teaching would not go down well today. We would expect the master to be so pleased that we had worked in the field all morning that lunch would be prepared for us. However, Jesus said, “In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do we consider ourselves unworthy servants? Probably not! How far have we been infiltrated by the pride of our enemy? Forgive us Lord! Amen!

Confront early

“So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Rather than talk about that person, confront their sin. We have been dumbed down to accept offense and say nothing. However, all this does is build a wall of offense and bitterness. It so much better to confront sin and  be free from offence.

Watching ourselves requires us to recognise we are quite able to become offended if we fail to confront the sin. Offense is waiting for us to fal into its trap.

As I love marine life and diving I watch video clips of various marine animals hunting. Tonight I watched an octopus hunt crabs. It cleverly hides in a trap waiting for the crabs to jump off the rocks into the sea. Satan is a hunter and we are the prey. Do not be deceived by his line, ‘you can’t confront that person it will be unloving’. That is a lie out of the pit. Scripture tells you to confront, do it early and do it right. Amen!

Temptation or joy?

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Women have been framed as temptresses in the Book of Proverbs, especially in the realm of sexual sin. Women do flirt and attempt to engage men they are interested in. Conversely men boast about prowess, skill and knowledge. We can all be guilty of wanting attention. It becomes dangerous and wrong when it steps over the god-given line.

In the last chapter Jesus said the following:

“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned. “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The New Covenant does not give me a licence to break God’s commandments. The modern day Christian breaks the above commandment about adultery. The excuse is: God would not want me to be unhappy or alone. This reveals that the flesh is in control. Jesus did not promise happiness, but rather joy as we take up our cross and follow Him. Joy in the suffering, joy in the wait, joy in knowing Him. Amen!