Scripture & Thought
Luke 18:9-14
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself…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 upon me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
How close is God to sinners? Closer than one might think. He sent His Son to suffer and die for sinners. That’s how close God is to sinners.
Here is a story about two men –one a self-proclaimed sinner, vilified by his countrymen for working as a tax collector for Rome. The other was a self-proclaimed puritan, a man who kept the laws of God and was proud to do so. Both men came to the temple. The Pharisee “prayed about himself” and his prayers were rejected by God. The other man, hoping against hope, prayed for mercy. The Pharisee believed he had “standing” before God. The other man believed he had no standing before God at all. One man was condemned; the other was justified. The religious world would have assumed that it was the sinner who was condemned and the Pharisee justified. The religious world would have been wrong.
The Church has a description for sinners – condemned, lost, without hope, hell-bent, helpless. God has a description for sinners – closer to the Kingdom than anyone might think. Attitude makes the difference.
Do you sometimes feel rejected, unworthy, a failure, an outcast, unable to approach the Lord because of a personal fault? There’s GREAT NEWS for you! You may be closer to God than you think. You are only a prayer away.
I love this quote by Winfred Rhoades: “For let a man go away or come back, God never leaves.”
Charles Spurgeon said, “Every day keep your eye only on Christ, and so long as your eye is single, your whole body must and shall be full of light.”
Keeping your eye only on Christ may not be the only truth to be learned in life, but it far more important than whatever is in second place. As the lyrics of the song read, “Look to Jesus now and live!” I really do believe this!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel so unworthy of your grace. Sometimes I feel that my spiritual trajectory is downward, not upward. Hope has faded; I feel abandoned. All I see around me discourages me. No encouraging voice can be heard. Father, remind me of this story of the two men. Remind me that even when you seem distant from me, you are still near. Teach me to plead for mercy. Then whisper to me so that only I can hear you say, “Son, your sins are forgiven. Welcome home!” Thank you. I believe I am.
Amen.