Humble Your - SELF

God bless all of you this morning as we all look forward to this weekend. This Sunday we will be celebrating World Communion Sunday in which we join with millions of believers world-wide to celebrate the Lord's Supper.

Bible text: Luke 18:9-14

What does it take to be humble? Who truly wants to be humble? Humility is not something innate to us; it doesn't come naturally. On the contrary, it is totally unnatural for us to lean towards being humble. Our human nature wants "my" way in "my" time on "my" terms. This obviously leads to a very selfish attitude.

In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus told of two different approaches to God:

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' (Luke 18:10-13)

There was a sharp contrast here - the Pharisee (a religious leader) was "proud" of his "innocence" regarding the "big" sins. He was equally proud of his religious accomplishments, his "spiritual" disciplines. His approach did not show a "need" for God but merely fufilled his "need" for the religious routine. On the other hand, the tax collector (who did not enjoy a good reputation in the 1st century) did not dare draw close to the temple nor could he even look up to the heavens. But he humbly asked God for mercy - he did not mention his spiritual disciplines nor his "big" sins. All he knew was that God would not refuse a humble heart.

Spiritual disciplines are essential, "big" sins are bad (and all sins for that matter), but simply fulfilling a religious need is not enough. Jesus knew that we had to deal with the pride, self-sufficiency, and self-centeredness. Let us approach God with a humble, repentant, and sincere heart - this sincere and humble approach will lead us to want to embrace and practice spiritual disciplines and abandon sinful ways (however "small" or "big" they may be).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this week of blessings. Even though every moment may have not been a smooth one, I trust in your steadfast love and grace. I approach You with a humble heart, help me to embrace your grace and live a life of faith. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Have a great Sunday worship experience!

By grace alone,
Pastor David