Daily Devotional for Sunday, October 18
Example of True Repentance
Luke 18:9-14
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” Luke 18:14.
Have you ever seen a person in power who, having been caught in a scandal, attempts to deflect and justify what he did? Some people think that their position, power and influence exempt them from the standard of behavior. Some think that they actually deserve special consideration because they are so essential or somehow indispensable. Some think they are above accountability. Sadly, it is true that power corrupts.
The Pharisee in this account was one of those people. We can clearly see that he was very full of himself, and further, how little he thought of the tax collector standing nearby. Can you imagine having the nerve to pray and publicly insult another person during prayer? Actually, we still have those who do that today; they are just not always this overt about it, but that is another devotional for another day.
The point is that the example of the Pharisee in our Bible account was not showing any sort of repentance at all. That man was just making his case to God as to why he did not need to repent. I cannot imagine making that case to God! On the other hand, the tax collector understood who he was in comparison to a perfect and holy God. He was a sinner, and he knew it.
Repentance starts with understanding who you are. If you think you have done enough good works or just have not sinned enough to bother to justify yourself in the eyes of God, then you are not repentant. If we understand that, before a perfect and holy God, we fall short, then we know our sin. That is the first step toward repentance: agreeing with God that we have failed Him and understanding our need for change. Next comes the prayer of repentance when we acknowledge our sin before God and ask for forgiveness.
Just a Thought
God loves the world. That includes us; yet, we are not nearly as important as we sometimes think we are.
Wally Fry