Pharisee or Tax collector?
The Epistle of James states,
James uses strong words here. He tells sinners to wash their hands of their sins. To purify their hearts. He then states, Grieve, mourn, wail. Change your laughter to mourning you joy to gloom. To truly humble yourself before God.
I think we as followers in Christ Jesus are quite often too casual about our salvation. We say we are saved yet we all sin and fall short of what God wants for our lives from time to time.
It is in those times when we sin that we need to grieve and wail. We need to go to our knees and say “O Lord forgive me.”
Luke’s Gospel records,
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
“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: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“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.’
“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.”
Luke 18:9-14.
In this scenario who are you, the Pharisee or the Tax collector.
Please think about it.
The Epistle of James states,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God
and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning
and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.”
James 4:7-10.
If you claim to be a believer in Jesus Christ do you truly humble yourself before Him?James uses strong words here. He tells sinners to wash their hands of their sins. To purify their hearts. He then states, Grieve, mourn, wail. Change your laughter to mourning you joy to gloom. To truly humble yourself before God.
I think we as followers in Christ Jesus are quite often too casual about our salvation. We say we are saved yet we all sin and fall short of what God wants for our lives from time to time.
It is in those times when we sin that we need to grieve and wail. We need to go to our knees and say “O Lord forgive me.”
Luke’s Gospel records,
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
“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: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“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.’
“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.”
Luke 18:9-14.
In this scenario who are you, the Pharisee or the Tax collector.
Please think about it.
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