Thursday, April 16

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

Joshua 13:1–14:15

Luke 18:1–17

Psalm 85:1–13

Proverbs 13:7,8

 

 

“For some time he [the judge] refused.  But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” (Luke 18:4,5)

 

 

“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 all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13,14)

 

 

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16,17)

 

 

Today’s passages from Luke provide three portraits of how we may approach God through Jesus Christ:  with boldness, humility, and a childlike heart.  While the Parable of the Persistent Widow focuses on persistence in prayer, the Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee indicates the attitude of humility that we should have in light of our brokenness before the Almighty King.  The final verses emphasize Jesus’s deep love for all people and His encouragement for receiving “the kingdom of God like a little child.”

 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we understand that we may not approach God’s throne due to our own merit.  In Isaiah 64:6, the prophet explains:  “All of us have become like one who is unclean,/ and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;/ we all shrivel up like a leaf,/ and, like the wind, our sins sweep us away.”  We stand guilty before a holy God.  Having fallen short of His standard of righteousness, even our “best efforts” cannot right the score.

 

Romans 6:23 beautifully encapsulates the Gospel message, showing us the hope we may in Christ:  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  We deserve death – or separation from God – but, in His mercy and by His grace, those who have received Christ also receive eternal life.  2 Corinthians 5:21 explains how we, the sinful, received righteousness through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf:  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

With this background in mind, the tax collector’s humility provides a helpful example for us.  He acknowledged that his shortcomings had separated him from God and that God would need to bestow mercy for reconciliation to occur.  Jesus explains that “this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.”  His humble confession of faith far surpassed the Pharisee’s boastful comparisons and the “good deeds” underlying them.

 

Recognizing that God justifies us through faith and by His grace, we then approach the throne of grace with boldness and childlike joy.  The persistent widow in the first parable desperately needed justice from this stubborn judge; otherwise, she would have few resources to receive relief from her suffering.  Desperation definitely prompts boldness within us, but this passage suggests that we should take this attitude in all circumstances.  As Pastor Scott has mentioned, the depth of our prayer life provides a clear marker for our reliance on God vs. ourselves.  Are there ever any situations in which fervent prayer wouldn’t be appropriate?

 

God also desires that we approach Him with a childlike faith and joy.  As adults, this world causes us to become jaded and weary.  We may even intentionally keep ourselves from the prospect of facing disappointment later.  Brother Lawrence appeared to have a strong grasp on living with this childlike faith and combining it with everyday life:

 

“He was content doing the smallest chore if he could do it purely for the love of God.  He even found himself quite well off, which he attributed to the fact that he sought only God and not His gifts. He believes that God is much greater than any of the simple gifts He gives us.  Rather than desiring them from Him, he chose to look beyond the gifts, hoping to learn more about God Himself.  Sometimes, he even wished that he could avoid receiving his rewarding so that he would have the pleasure of doing something solely for God.”

 

 

Brother Lawrence explained that this childlike faith leads us to loving God:  “Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God.  The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.”

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching these great truths about approaching You.  Give us hearts of humility, boldness, and childlike faith in our pursuit of You.  Help us to see our desperate need for Your grace and Your intervention in everyday life.  Give us glimpses of Your glory as we seek You so that we may know You more deeply.  We love You, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, amen.

 

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