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Dr. W's Reflections...
“God bless America!” As we celebrate the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that we are blessed to enjoy as Americans, let us humble ourselves before the Lord. Let us thank God for all the ways He has shed His grace on this beautiful land that we love. And let us continue to petition God to stand beside our nation and guide our nation through the night, with the Light from above. Amen.
We have been blessed to be a blessing! The life we share together as a church family is special, because the life we share together as a church family has been made sacred by God. And so, let’s keep praying: “Lord, send people to us, and send us to people.”
The Lord be with you,
Wyatt
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THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR (Luke 18:9-14)
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”
This parable, as told by Jesus, showcases the virtue of humility by showing us that there is a difference–a big difference–between being confident in our faith, and in being arrogant about it. On one hand, you have the “Pharisee.” This Pharisee is a religious leader not only robed up in the garments of religious royalty but baptized into his own sense of self-righteousness. On the other hand, you have the “tax collector.” In the eyes of his fellow Jews, the tax collector was seen as a no good, money-grabbing Roman collaborator.
The contrast between the “two men” couldn’t be greater: The superior religious leader vs. the worst sinner of all. Both men are praying. The Pharisee prayed about himself–it is “I” this and “I” that–while the tax collector could only cry out for God’s mercy. The Pharisee didn’t really ask God for anything, while the tax collector recognized his desperate dependence on God for everything.
“Two men” went up to the temple to pray.... As noted earlier, there is a difference–a big difference–between being confident in our faith, and in being arrogant about it. And so, let’s always remember that if we “exalt” ourselves, then we will be humbled, but if we “humble” ourselves, then we will be exalted.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”