We’re in week 2 of principles of receiving, and I’m starting to think I should have called it Principles of Prayer! Today is all about Humility. What makes humility so great? I think it’s the way God responds to a humble heart and the act of subduing the flesh’s nature. The bible says, in Numbers 12, that Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth. A few verses down, the Lord himself describes the authority of Moses. “He is entrusted and faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], clearly and openly and not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord.” Number 12:8. For those who want to walk in authority and closely with the Lord, humility is essential. As stated last week, this entire series is based on Luke 18 verses 9 -17 today). If you’d like to take some time to read the short text yourself, I’ve linked it here. So let’s get into it.
Basis. I’m going to paraphrase this parable in short and quickly put it into context. A Pharisee and Tax Collector went to the temple to pray. The Pharisees thanked God for the sins that he does not commit, all the good that he (himself – not God) does, and that he is not like the tax collector. The Tax Collector beat his chest, asked God to have mercy on him, and forgive his sins. The Tax Collector left the temple justified, and the Pharisee did not. To put this perspective, I heard a pastor say, a Pharisee would have been like a well-known preacher and the Tax Collector – a sex offender. Jews honored the Pharisees for their commitment to the law but detested Tax Collectors because they worked for the “unclean and oppressive” Romans and took extra taxes from Jews to become rich. To be objective, the Pharisees list in his prayer is everything we would want to be. Not a swindler. Not Dishonest. Not an adulterer. So why wasn’t he justified in the sight of God over the Tax Collector?
The Heart & Faith. Other than he was rude enough to insult the tax collector in front of the tax collector, he was self-righteous and self-absorbed. He worshiped God for all he himself was able to do and not what God has done. When we go into prayer, we can be thankful for what God has done in our lives and what he’s saved us from, but we must glory in God. Paul says to boast in the Lord! Prayer is not an opportunity to tell God how good we’ve been but how good He’s been. Psalm 51 says, “O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.” The Pharisee’s prayer also revealed that his faith was in his works. He walked proudly into the temple and shamed others only because he felt he, himself, could not be shamed because of his works. Good works can be done in anyone’s name, but only one name saves, forgives, and deserves the glory. When we enter into the place of prayer as we seek salvation, forgiveness, and to give glory, we will connect with God.
The Advancement of Humility. The Pharisee obeyed the law and thought that he would be justified. But, he did not have the ability to see that a new covenant that would one day be among him, Jesus. He could not see that repentance is the way to the heart of the Lord and not our good works. The Tax Collector’s reliance on God’s ability and not his own was truly ahead of his time. There is a special grace for people who carry humility. They walk in ways that the religious people cannot because they are still bound. The Tax Collector may have been sinful, but he could reach heaven in a way that someone who went above and beyond to serve God could not. He was justified by asking for forgiveness in a repentant and broken heart. He did what Jesus says in Matthew 11:29. “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
In so many attempts to get it right, we think freedom is in what we do, but it’s in who we put our faith in. When we live a life that says only Jesus is enough, we can be humble. It sounds so anti-“motivational church” to say, Jesus is enough, and I am not. But the good news is because we have Jesus, God sees us as enough. Not in our own power but in the image of His righteous and holy Son. So friends, when you pray, I want you to give God true glory. When you make a request, know that God gives not because of our works but because he is a father. When you live, do follow the Lord’s commands but stay humble in your heart. I hope this helps someone today. Have a great week, and spend so much of it with Jesus.
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