A proud and confident man came to the temple to pray. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t need to repent or make any changes in his life--he just needed an extra bit of reassurance that he was doing everything right. But as he was praying, someone in the corner of the temple was crying and praying loudly, which disturbed him.
He looked the man over from top to bottom and decided that the only way to ignore him would be to pray louder and show him that this was a temple, not a bar. ‘Oh My Lord, I praise You, not only for what You’ve been in my life but mostly because of what I’ve conquered for You. I have lived my life in the best way possible and I think I have done a very good job. You see Lord, I’m not sure if You have noticed but I don’t live life as most men my age do.
Take that man in the corner, for example … he must have done quite a few things wrong in his life, things I’m sure You disapprove of … whereas I, your faithful and reliable servant, come here not to ask You for forgiveness but to praise You with my life. I have an eye for perfection and I use that to guide my life. I can see how poor and needy that man is, which clearly shows that he hasn’t done his best. I can’t help but feel sorry for You, my Lord, for having to put up with such a pathetic creature. Amen.’
When we read this parable of our Lord Jesus, it seems so obvious that this “righteous” man has the wrong attitude. Yet haven’t you seen exactly the same disposition in many of us? Many of us like to boast about our accomplishments, saying “I am so good at that” or “What would the church be without me” … or the ultimate, “I wish everybody was just like me”, consequently making other people feel low and unworthy…
The more we do for God, the more the devil attacks us. One of his favorite methods is to give us a self-righteous point of view, so that we no longer see the plank in our own eye but only the speck in someone else’s. (Read Luke 6.42.) The truth is that no one is truly good. No one is high enough to say that he or she is better than others. We all have our shortcomings, but through faith we’ve been chosen to serve God as best we can, with whatever we have.
The smaller we seem before others, the bigger we are before God … the less capable, the more useful. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Read Luke 18.9-14.)
This message is very strong ... and really true.
ReplyDeleteWhen we want the glory of God for us, do not receive anything from God.
Because only God is perfect and only Him is all honor and glory.
This post is very strong and it has taught me that it does not matter whether it is little that i have, but if it is to the glory of God, it is much before Him, rather than to look at what others have and say inside me that mine, though little, is better than theirs or am better than them.
ReplyDeleteI have learned that pride is from the devil and that I should not entertain it at all.I should not let anything put me down as I work for the glory of God.The post has been of great help to me.
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