The other day was a very normal day around our house. We finished school without any unplanned distractions, had some time playing outside on the gorgeous day that we had been blessed with, and then the inevitable happened. A practically perfect day very quickly got tainted with a little scuffle between siblings.
Camron very emphatically pointed out to Savannah that she was using his headphones to listen to her iPod and not hers. After several moments of heated conversation, my typically sweet Savannah very frustratingly yanked the cord out of her iPod and slung the headphones on the couch and stomped back to her bedroom.
Camron's response to her behavior was what shocked me. He very innocently looked at me and asked a poignant question. He asked:
"Do I ever act like that?"
I was proud of my ten-year old, rather non-reflective little boy for taking a moment to ponder whether his reaction to adverse circumstances are as unappealing as his sister's were.
Have you ever done that? Have you observed the behavior (positive or negative) of someone else and taken a moment to introspectively ask yourself if your behavior ever resembles theirs?
Just as I told Camron, that's a very good question to pose to ourselves from time to time. It's not a bad idea to keep our actions and responses in check based on what we observe in others. Sometimes we can learn more about what we desire for our life to look like by taking note of what we don't want it to look like.
However, let me ask you this question:
Who should we ultimately be comparing ourselves to?
We will always be able to find someone in this fallen world who responds inappropriately, who loses all control, and who acts unbecomingly. If we only compare ourselves to our fellow sinful man, we'll always be able to find someone who makes us feel a little bit better about ourselves. I don't think that's what Christ has in mind for His followers.
Do you remember how the Pharisee was chastised by Jesus whenever he pridefully compared himself to the tax collector in the Gospel of Luke? This Pharisee very arrogantly and publicly thanked God that he wasn't anything like all of the other sinful people in the world, namely the tax collector who stood in his very presence. He then praised himself for all of the good things that he does for God.
In contrast, the prayer of the tax collector was drastically different. Here is how Luke records the response of the tax collector:
"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.'" Luke 18:13
Jesus then reminds his listeners that it is the humble who will be exalted, but those who exalt themselves will one day be humbled.
Whenever we compare ourselves to our fellow man, rather than comparing ourselves to the Son of Man, then we'll always be able to find someone who makes us feel a little bit better about ourselves. However, whenever we remember that Jesus is our measuring stick, we're more likely to resemble the tax collector who was only capable of confessing his sinful state and who was in desperate need of mercy from God.
Whenever you find yourself sounding more like the Pharisee than the tax collector, take a moment to get yourself in check. We must remind ourselves on a daily basis that anything that comes out of our lives that is good is only because of God's righteousness that He bestowed upon us at the time of our salvation.
Who do you resemble today: The Pharisee or the tax collector?
Camron very emphatically pointed out to Savannah that she was using his headphones to listen to her iPod and not hers. After several moments of heated conversation, my typically sweet Savannah very frustratingly yanked the cord out of her iPod and slung the headphones on the couch and stomped back to her bedroom.
Camron's response to her behavior was what shocked me. He very innocently looked at me and asked a poignant question. He asked:
"Do I ever act like that?"
I was proud of my ten-year old, rather non-reflective little boy for taking a moment to ponder whether his reaction to adverse circumstances are as unappealing as his sister's were.
Have you ever done that? Have you observed the behavior (positive or negative) of someone else and taken a moment to introspectively ask yourself if your behavior ever resembles theirs?
Just as I told Camron, that's a very good question to pose to ourselves from time to time. It's not a bad idea to keep our actions and responses in check based on what we observe in others. Sometimes we can learn more about what we desire for our life to look like by taking note of what we don't want it to look like.
However, let me ask you this question:
Who should we ultimately be comparing ourselves to?
We will always be able to find someone in this fallen world who responds inappropriately, who loses all control, and who acts unbecomingly. If we only compare ourselves to our fellow sinful man, we'll always be able to find someone who makes us feel a little bit better about ourselves. I don't think that's what Christ has in mind for His followers.
Do you remember how the Pharisee was chastised by Jesus whenever he pridefully compared himself to the tax collector in the Gospel of Luke? This Pharisee very arrogantly and publicly thanked God that he wasn't anything like all of the other sinful people in the world, namely the tax collector who stood in his very presence. He then praised himself for all of the good things that he does for God.
In contrast, the prayer of the tax collector was drastically different. Here is how Luke records the response of the tax collector:
"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.'" Luke 18:13
Jesus then reminds his listeners that it is the humble who will be exalted, but those who exalt themselves will one day be humbled.
Whenever we compare ourselves to our fellow man, rather than comparing ourselves to the Son of Man, then we'll always be able to find someone who makes us feel a little bit better about ourselves. However, whenever we remember that Jesus is our measuring stick, we're more likely to resemble the tax collector who was only capable of confessing his sinful state and who was in desperate need of mercy from God.
Whenever you find yourself sounding more like the Pharisee than the tax collector, take a moment to get yourself in check. We must remind ourselves on a daily basis that anything that comes out of our lives that is good is only because of God's righteousness that He bestowed upon us at the time of our salvation.
Who do you resemble today: The Pharisee or the tax collector?
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