Scripture to Read: Luke 18:9-14
The focus this week is on the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14. Though there are only a few short verses, Jesus is contrasting pride and humility. So, pride and humility are the subjects we’ll walk through this week. The word pride can often be used today in a positive way. For instance, someone can say they take pride in their work. This kind of pride is having pleasure, or a feeling of satisfaction taken in what has been accomplished. Taking pride in something is not necessarily a negative thing but could become negative if we brag about our accomplishments. When the word pride is used in the Bible, it is almost always used in the context of committing sin. There are a few exceptions in the Bible when the word pride is used, but most references to pride are not in the context of being something good. Pride is thinking too much of ourselves, or our accomplishments, and considering ourselves better than others. Pride is a fleshly attribute that we need to crucify daily. God says of pride in Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.” So, God leaves no doubt, He hates pride and arrogance. We must choose humility, which means this is an act of our will to humble ourselves. The word humble is used 82 times in the Bible, and almost every reference is about us humbling ourselves and not God humbling us. We’ll look more at this tomorrow.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about pride?
2. What areas of your life are you prideful in that you need to crucify?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!