Are you there yet?
In Luke’s gospel we read,
“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.
So I ask,
It is only when we admit this can we ever draw closer to and be effective for God.
The apostle Paul one of the greatest men in Christian history said,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”1Timothy 1:15,16.
It is only when we truly humble ourselves before God and admit that we are sinners that we can become effective for God.
In order to be effective for Christ we must realize how far we have come. We must look back as the apostle Paul did, and humbly admit to anyone who will listen we were the worst of sinners. And that, if Christ can save us, He can save anyone.
So my questions to anyone who claims to be a Christian is,
Please think about it.
In Luke’s gospel we read,
“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.
So I ask,
Are you there yet?
Or
Are you still too proud and self-righteous?
The apostle Paul writes,
“for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23.
That all means everyone, you, me, the pope, every priest, pastor, evangelist, political leader, every person that has ever lived. All of us have sinned. Not only that we sin and fall short of what God wants for our lives every day.It is only when we admit this can we ever draw closer to and be effective for God.
The apostle Paul one of the greatest men in Christian history said,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”1Timothy 1:15,16.
It is only when we truly humble ourselves before God and admit that we are sinners that we can become effective for God.
In order to be effective for Christ we must realize how far we have come. We must look back as the apostle Paul did, and humbly admit to anyone who will listen we were the worst of sinners. And that, if Christ can save us, He can save anyone.
So my questions to anyone who claims to be a Christian is,
Are you confident of your own righteousness,
someone who looks down on everybody else?
Or
Are you humble enough to admit you are the worst of sinners?
Are you there yet?
Please think about it.
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