The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:11)

Today’s Readings: Luke 18:9-14

Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here.

I’m teaching and recording a ministerial course right now on sharing Christ across cultural boundaries. One of the lessons discusses two extreme responses to different cultures that is apropos for this situation, I think. One is called cultural relativism which says every culture is okay, when in Rome, do as the Romans, accept every culture completely for what it is without criticism. The other is ethnocentrism which measure every other culture by your “superior” culture.

Both extreme approaches in viewing cultures are flawed. And every culture is flawed. All of us find ourselves profoundly influenced and molded by the culture in which we live, work, and worship, but because sin entered the world and we became flawed because of sin, the cultures we develop hold those same flawed concepts.

So, the Pharisee with all his piety becomes pious and his religion becomes his prideful downfall. He takes a view that his religion makes him better than those around him. His culture sets him apart as better than the tax collector who kneels at the altar near him. Surely God sees the difference between the two of them, and the Pharisee thanks God for the distinct superiority he holds in his goodness.

God has a problem with the Pharisee’s prayer. The Pharisee forgot he doesn’t come close to meeting God’s standard of goodness. In comparison, the Pharisee is much closer to the tax collector in terms of behavior than he is to God. We are all sinners and can’t live the standards God sets in our own strength. In fact, Jesus said the tax collector found himself closer to God than the Pharisee because he at least knew his position. The Pharisee did not.

The story is about humility and pride. It is also about being careful not to assume other’s position with God. And about prayer. The story tells us we all sin and fall short of God’s standard of right living. It tells us we should all take the position of the tax collector, sinner in God’s eyes, needing His forgiveness, needing His help.

The story is much more than the different cultures of the two, but it’s easy to start there. It’s easy for us to think ourselves better than others because of where we live, the color of our skin, the house we live in, or the car we drive. It might be the gang with which we associate or the job where we work or any number of things that describe our culture or subculture that makes us think we are different or better than another. But we must always remember we are nothing without the blood of Jesus. Until we become citizens of the Kingdom of God where only His culture matters, we live far below what God has in store for us.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Pride goes before the fall. (Esther 6:6)

Today’s Readings: Esther 6-8

So Haman entered the king’s chambers. He waited for the king to speak first.
King Ahasuerus:K Haman, I want to ask you something. What do you believe is the proper manner in which to honor a man who has pleased me?
Then Haman thought to himself, “There is no one the king wishes to honor more than me.”

We’ve probably all heard the old saying, “Pride goes before the fall.” Haman experienced it first hand. But he’s not alone in his agony. There are hundreds and thousands who think a lot more of themselves than they should and suffer the consequences of it later.

It started with Cain. Remember him? He wondered why God accepted his brother’s offering and not his. He got so jealous he killed his brother Abel. How about Joseph? He saw in his dreams that his parents and brothers would bow down to him, so he told his brothers. They sold ‘the dreamer’ into slavery. Then there was the giant Goliath. He declared he would feed David to the birds…before David chopped his head off with his own sword.

Pride can be okay until you let it get control of you. It’s not a bad thing to take pride in yourself and your work, but when you let it get control of you as the examples above show, you play with fire and your pride will undo the good you have done.

I expect Haman was not a bad administrator. If we saw Haman in operation in the king’s court, we probably would think him pretty efficient and effective in his job. I expect he got a lot of very good things done across the kingdom or Ahasuerus wouldn’t have given him the position he held in his court. Kings didn’t randomly give their signet ring to anyone. When the seal was used, it meant whatever came out with the seal was the king’s word. That takes a lot of trust. That’s a big deal.

Haman had that trust with the king. Haman was the king’s number one man in his court. He held the king’s signet ring and could sign his name to anything. Any law, any authority, any document, anything Haman wanted to sign, he could under the authority of the king. That is power! But Haman let it go to his head and he took the opportunity to let his pride get in the way, just like Goliath, Joseph, and Cain.

It’s okay to have pride in things, but don’t let it get in your way. Don’t let it overwhelm you or overcome your sense of right and wrong. Haman and the others did and it cost them dearly. We can avoid their mistakes and learn their lessons before it happens to us.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Sometimes we just need to change the rules (1 Samuel 14:24)

Today’s Readings: 1 Samuel 13-14; Ephesians 6

But Saul did a foolish thing: he placed all of his troops under an oath that caused added pressure.

Saul: A curse on anyone who stops to eat before evening comes and I have my revenge on my enemies!

So none of the army ate anything,

Have you ever made a dumb decision you just refuse to change? I admit I have. I’d like to think as I’ve matured I’m not as apt to hang on to dumb decisions, but…

We all do it. We all make bad decisions at one time or another. The question is not whether we will make them, it is what we do about them when we find out they are stupid? Do we let our ego get in the way of correcting the mistake or do we do the right thing and change the decision for the betterment of those around us?

Saul’s problem germinated well before he made the decision to keep his troops from eating. Yes, that was a dumb decision. Soldiers today carry about the same weight of equipment soldiers in Saul’s day carried, about 70 pounds. Then when they got to the battlefield, they stripped themselves of all but their essential fighting equipment, much like our soldiers today (protective gear, weapon, and ammunition), and took only their swords, spears, and shields on the field. So their load dwindled to a mere 20-30 pounds of equipment for their hand to hand combat.

Soldiers today eat three combat rations a day. I’ve watched most soldiers eat most of those meals every day and lose weight over time in combat. That’s about 8,000 calories a day and still lose weight. I don’t recommend combat as a form or diet, but you can see the physical exertion placed upon soldiers when they get on the field of battle. That’s a lot of food. A lot of calories. A lot of effort expended. It doesn’t take long to wear out under those conditions if you don’t fuel the body with sufficient water and food. Saul made a dumb decision that day, not letting his soldiers eat!

But Saul’s problems started before that. They started before the sacrifice he made to God without waiting for Samuel. His instructions were to wait for Samuel and he didn’t. His instructions were to let the priest make the sacrifice. He didn’t. He didn’t do what God told him to do because he thought as king, he could set his own rules. He thought his position and importance in the kingdom, trumped the rules God laid out for him through His prophets and priests. He was wrong.

Saul’s ego got in his way. The unfortunate part for Saul wasn’t losing the kingdom. Nor was it losing his son in a later battle. Nor was it the taunts by his subjects about David’s prowess compared to his. The unfortunate part for Saul was he lost himself and his soul because he failed in his obedience. He thought himself more important than God and his embarrassment in front of his soldiers more important than trusting Samuel and God for the victory that could have been his.

Learn from Saul’s misfortune. Don’t let your ego determine your eternal destiny. Obedience is more important to God than sacrifice. He wants us to love and obey Him more than anything else. And if we truly love Him, we cannot help but obey Him.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Wisdom, Humility, and Honor (Proverbs 15:33)

Today’s Readings: Proverbs 13-15; Titus 2

“Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom, and humility always precedes honor.”

The book of Solomon speaks often of wisdom. Here he couples wisdom, humility, and honor for our consideration. The first line seems apparent to those of us who follow God, but much of the world doesn’t know Him and have not made the connection between wisdom and living for God. He is the personification of wisdom. We read a few weeks ago about His discourse with Job and the rhetorical questions He raised. Who set the boundaries for the seas? Who tells the birds went to migrate? Who feeds the animals of the wild? Who delivers rain to water the crops and provide life for man?

God’s questions to Job help us realize His omniscience. If we really want more than just knowledge, God is clearly the source of all wisdom. Acknowledging, He is God and not us creates reverence for His mighty, awesome, terrible power and presence. Reverence for Him, the Eternal, is the first step, the first lesson of wisdom.

The second part of this proverb may not be as obvious, but is certainly true. Humility precedes honor.

My grandfather once told me of a woman in his church years ago that prided herself on her humility. She would wash her hair in the toilet as a sign of humility. God’s not talking about such false humility to draw attention to yourself. This woman certainly did not draw people to her, although she did get a lot of attention. Toilets were not as efficient in moving water and waste as they are today. She sometimes didn’t need to tell anyone she washed her hair in the toilet, they knew!

Solomon talks about genuine humility. It doesn’t mean we do crazy rituals to show others. It doesn’t mean we grovel and consider ourselves lower than a worm. I heard a great description of humility several years ago that stuck with me. I share it often. Humility means knowing you are a child of God. It’s knowing He is your Father and loves you more than life. And as a loving Father, He gives us both gifts and discipline. We are heirs to the Kingdom of God with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that come with adoption into His family. The description begins by remembering, as His followers, He places us on a pretty high pedestal.

Humility has a second part, however. All the above is true, but humility is remembering why we are privileged. We stand boldly in God’s presence, not because of anything we do, but because He wrapped Himself in flesh, died for our sins as our perfect sacrifice, then rose from the grave to demonstrate His power and authority. We are God’s children because He gave Himself so we could become His children. We have so much, but we must always view it from the foot of the cross. That’s humility.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Don’t Forget to Submit (James 4:7)

Today’s Readings: Ecclesiastes 1-3; James 4

“So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure.” – The Voice

Whenever you come across a “so” in scripture, back up. We’ve all heard this verse a lot, but often forget the so, therefore, or then, that goes with it. If you back up to the context of the verses before verse 7, you read about self-gratification, pride, seeking after the world’s interests instead of God’s interests. His word says He opposes the proud, but pours out His grace on the humble. And then we have the promise of verse 7.

We love verse 7, the promise that Satan will flee from us. What a powerful verse! To think that we can stand against Satan and he will run away in failure. The trouble with the picture we too often put in our brain as the conquering hero against Satan and his schemes is we forget the first part of the verse, just like we forget the stuff that comes before the verse.

What does it say? Submit yourselves to God! We don’t like that part. That’s part of the condition, though. You’ll find most of God’s promises have if, then phrases. If we do something, God will do something. The same is true with this promise. If we submit to God and fight against the devil, then he will run away.

Unanswered prayers, in James’ argument, are all part of the same issue. We don’t receive because we don’t ask, but when we do ask and don’t receive, we often ask out of selfish motive instead of submitting to God. It’s not about us. It’s about God. It’s not about our will and what we want, but about what He wants.

Am I saying that God doesn’t answer our prayers for healing because He wants us or our friends or loved ones sick or dead? No. That’s not what I’m saying. Bad things happen to good people because we live in a fallen world. God allows those things to happen. I can’t explain why He answers some prayers the way we want them answered and why He doesn’t sometimes. I do know that through it all, God is faithful to us. I know He loves us more than we will ever know or understand. I also know that there is much we do not know about how God works. About His Kingdom or about His plans. But we know He is good and He can work all things for His good. He can turn bad things into good for His purposes. He doesn’t make the bad things, He just uses them for His good when they happen. Does He allow them? Yes. They are consequences of our fallen state, our corrupted world. Yet even these, “all things,” He can work together for our good and His glory when we submit to Him.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard