Pride

Bible In A Year | Read: Luke 18

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “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.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 

Overview of Chapter

For some, prayer is an odd idea. God knows what we want, so why do we need to ask for it? Jesus goes a step further and says not only should we ask, we should ask repeatedly. He also continues to turn things upside-down by teaching that people who would traditionally be believed to be closer to God really are further away and those that would be thought further from God are closer.

When it comes to prayer, God wants us to understand that what we are asking for belongs to God. For us to expect to get things from God without asking assumes that God owes us things. When we ask, and ask repeatedly, we acknowledge the nature of the relationship between us. We are requesting that the God of the Universe provide something we do not deserve.

Thoughts on the verses

Have you ever met a “me-monster”? “Look at how much better I am than them.” They’re constantly measuring up by either maximizing themselves or by minimizing others in an effort to feel superior. This kind of superiority complex is deeply rooted in pride. It’s a type of self-righteousness that attempts to mask fears and insecurities. When pride boxes us in, we miss out on mercy, and so do those around us. 

In Jesus’ story of the two men praying, he contrasts the trappings of pride with the freedom found in humility. The prideful Pharisee made everything a competition by constantly calculating how he measured up with the world around him. The tax collector saw himself for who he really was and approached God with humility. That humility led to an abundance of mercy, forgiveness, and freedom.

If you find yourself wanting to puff yourself up or tear others down, that’s pride boxing you in. It will distance you from God and others. We can’t forget that God’s perfection is the standard for which we should measure ourselves. None of us measure up by ourselves. It’s only by the mercy of God that comes by Jesus Christ that we have any opportunity to experience forgiveness and freedom. He pardons our sin and imparts the righteousness of Christ to us.

Action Steps

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

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