BBD 02.18.08 The Path of Blessing
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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02.18.08
The Path of Blessing
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one
a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I
give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar
off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to
his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 18:
9-14.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way
and the perverse mouth I hate. - Proverbs 8:13.
In the United Arab Emirates, a license plate has been sold at a charity
auction for what is said to be a record fourteen million dollars. What is so
special about this license plate? This license plate contains only one
numeral, the number "1". Saeed Khouri explains why he paid so much for the
number one plate: "I bought it because it's the best number. I bought it
because I want to be the best in the world." The money from the auction is
going to a good cause to help a rehabilitation center for accident victims.
Pride is a very self-deceiving and dangerous thing as we see with the
Pharisee in Luke 18. From the life experience of the Pharisee he knew that
he did the things that were expected of him. He fasted, he tithed, he
prayed, and he did not extort money from others. The Pharisee also knew that
many tax collectors made their living off of extortion. What the Pharisee
did not know was that God does not just look at the outward things that we
do. No, God also looks at the heart, the inward condition of a person . The
Pharisee's heart was filled with pride that he was the best, that he was so
much better than that scum of the earth sinful tax collector. Meanwhile, the
tax collector's heart was filled with repentance, a desire to turn away from
his sin recognizing his unworthiness before God.
What does pride do? It robs us of joy because we can never be satisfied with
what we have - we will always want more. It robs us of peace because we will
always be concerned that someone else will be better, or have more than us.
Pride also robs us of the blessings of God. The apostle Peter shares with us
an additional problem with pride in 1 Peter 5:5-7, "Likewise you younger
people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to
one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud but
gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon
Him, for He cares for you." Living with a prideful attitude results in God
resisting you, opposing you in all that you do. What a terrible way to live!
You should always strive to live with humility before God and others by your
actions and with your heart. Because if you will live your life with
humility God will not oppose you, He will not resist you; instead He will
exalt you, and lift you up in due time. Living with humility will result in
God taking care of you - and you will be given joy, peace, and untold
blessings from the hand of God.
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