Really Religious vs. Real Relationship

We had two "near misses" in the last week that qualify as praise reports/prayer requests. 

• David Marshall had a nasty fall from a tree and hit his head. Besides a couple of minor broken bones he is doing well, and whatever bleeding there was in the brain appears to be absorbing naturally. Thank God for his great mercy after this accident and please remember the Marshall family.
• Tyler Smith was traveling in a convoy in Afghanistan and the vehicle he was driving was struck with a 150 lb IED (the regular weight is 50 lbs.). Thank the Lord that no one in the vehicle died or even lost a limb! They were all knocked unconscious and suffered concussions, and Tyler and another man had some minor fractures. Tyler was flown back to the US a few days ago and I believe that he is now in a military hospital in Kentucky, doing very well. 

Praise Reports:

• Warren and Mary's son, John, will be honored for his great work with "Angel Flight". Read the article here: www.articles.lancasteronline.com/
• Aubrey passed what may very well be her last college test, paving the way for a degree in General Management from Thomas Edison State College!
• Ken is back safely from a good business trip in California.
• Byron said that this last birthday was the best he's ever had. And that's saying something at 98!
• Sandra recently moved into her new house, yay! Please pray that she will be able to make wonderful friends in Noel and thoroughly enjoy her home.

Prayer Requests:

• Dixie is now at Circle of Life Hospice. 
• Ruby is home, but her health problems are still not under control.
• Vanessa's son and daughter-in-law suffered miscarriage. 
• Please pray for strength for Vanessa, who is bearing so many burdens.
• Sandy recently lost one of her best friends, a very active, wonderful lady named Beth Hughes. She plans to travel out to California to be with the family, please pray for the Hugheses and Sandy's safe trip.
• Elaine's niece, Jamie, recently delivered her first child. Please pray for her and her parents.
• Julie is recovering from major surgery; remember her and lift her up regularly. Also, Roy is down with an infection of some sort in his leg.
• Keep Rebecca, Brenna, and Gabe in your prayers.
• June is helping her family in North Carolina; please pray for her ministry to them.
• Remember our sisters in Christ: Robin and Kaylene.
• Pray for the people on Harbor House property: Byron, Mary, Pam, and Markus.
• Keep our military in your prayers, especially those you know personally: Trent, Christin, Levi, James, Megan, Adam, Tyler, etc.
• Remember Sulphur Springs.
• There is a possibility that Christin may be deployed on May 16, 2011 for 6 months in Iraq. This would make her leave Little Rock just a few days before James is supposed to come live with her there. Living apart from one another for about a year is taking its toll on them.
• Levi will probably be spending the year of 2012 in the dangerous hills of Afghanistan.

The Publican and the Sinner, originally uploaded by Lawrence OP.

Luke 18:9-14 Read this passage in what might be the most beautiful translation of the Scriptures--the New English Bible:

And here is another parable that he told. It was aimed at those who were sure of their own goodness and looked down on everyone else. 

'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood up and prayed thus: "I thank thee, O God, that I am not like the rest of men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous; or, for that matter, like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all that I get." But the other kept his distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat upon his breast, saying, "O God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am." 

It was this man, I tell you, and not the other, who went home acquitted of his sins. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.'

 This story is a contrast between two relationships with God--the one between a sinner who knows it and a sinner who doesn't. Let's look at these two:

• In Jesus's day, the Pharisees were the ones who took the Law seriously. They were the disciplined ones. They were so strict, they created the Oral Law to keep them from breaking the Mosaic Law. They were the ones everyone looked up to as what God really wanted His children to look like.
• Tax collectors, on the other hand, were the stench of society. They were considered turncoats and traitors for cooperating with their Roman oppressors. Not only that, they were also labeled as cheaters for assessing more taxes than was legal (taking a nice cut for themselves) and if a debtor wouldn't pay then the tax collector would turn him over to the Roman soldiers.

Both of these men went up to the temple to pray. From looking at the two descriptions above, we might expect (and can imagine that Jesus's original audience would expect) the prayers to be as different as the two men, and we can guess who goes away justified before God.

But, we would probably have it the wrong way around.

The Pharisee says, in effect, "God, did you notice me?"

The tax collector says, "God, forgive me, I didn't notice you."

And guess which one went away justified before the Lord. 


The Pharisee thought that he had a good relationship with God because he was doing all the right things. When you really think about it, this isn't uncommon at all. Nearly everyone gets a thrill out of doing the right thing; it's only human. We do something good for someone and we immediately get a rush of good feelings that tend to turn up the pride-o-meter. The Pharisee was addicted to the "good feelings" he got by following the letter of the Law, and thought that they proved he was right with God. 


But these natural feelings are just God's pat on the back for a job well done. They are not meant to make us hurry to the nearest mirror and say, "Way to go, buddy, you've done it again!"


Christians are no longer in the position of the tax collector. As post-tax-collectors, then, what are we in danger of becoming? Self-righteous Pharisees. Listed below are seven characteristics of self-righteousness we need to be watching for in ourselves (Important: you'd better not be thinking about how all of these apply to everyone else. Look at yourself [vs. 11].)

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE

1. Speaking "Christian-ese". Both of these men were in a similar posture while praying: standing (typical for a praying Jew). However, the nuances of their posture were strikingly different: the tax collector was so humbled by the Lord's presence that he dared not even raise his eyes to Heaven, and the Pharisee was probably staring boldly up at the temple, bravely facing a God who he was sure approved of him. We Christians sometimes adopt a peculiar language called "Christian-ese". It's similar to our native tongue, but with so many obscure words and phrases and concepts thrown in that it's almost unintelligible to anyone who's unfamiliar with it. Those who put on their "church lingo" or "holy look" to impress others are tempting the Pride Monster. And what does this do to their witness? Beware of trying to "look" like a Christian, holding yourself above the uninitiated. 
2. Comparing yourself to others. This is second-nature for us humans. After all, how can we tell where we are unless we compare ourselves to those around us? The key here is that we should be comparing ourselves to Christ, and that will always keep pride and self-righteousness far, far away.
3. Having disdain for "lesser people". No matter who they are, if we are rejecting a human being because they are "lower" than us, we're probably in big trouble.
4. Praying more informatively than interrogatively. Are our prayers simply a platform to make God aware? Is prayer our venue for informing of Him of what we know? Looking at the Pharisees's prayer, it looks as if he not only considered himself to be better than the tax collector, he also imagined he was just a little bit above the Lord Himself since he felt he had to inform Him of his own goodness. We need to recognize where we stand in relation to God and others, and our prayers can be a clue to our attitude.
5. Ready remembrance of our righteous deeds. Do you keep a running tally of your "good deeds"? Why that important for you to keep track of? Remember, you're just doing your duty.
6. Need to tell others of righteous deeds. This is taking #5 a bit farther. Not only do you easily recall your own righteous acts, but you feel you have to share them with others. Proverbs 17:28, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."
7. Unaware of how others perceive us. Do you have a good idea of how others see you? Maybe you should ask around a little, test the waters, and discover what everyone's thinking and maybe no one is saying. And here's the key: when you find out what others think of you, don't push the truth to the back of your mind--act on it.