Thursday Devotion: Luke 18:9-14

You cannot see the light without darkness.

You cannot experience life without death.

You cannot witness the grace of God if you are on high.

To be made whole, to be exalted in the eyes of God, we must first be made low. We have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death before we can truly appreciate the comfort that comes from the rod and staff in the hand of the shepherd.

Just like the tax collector in this parable, we have to humbly come before God and proclaim that we are unworthy of the gifts bestowed upon us--we are sinners. Then, we will be given new life; raised from the darkness; provided a means to a new end.

For some of us this is much easier said than done. We keep measures of how much we have accomplished in our life. We weigh gifts and giving against those of our neighbors. Like the Pharisee we keep a track record of how great we are in comparison to those around us.

We're bullies.

We reduce others to the value of their sins so that we may perceive ourselves as elevated to new heights in the eyes of God: I'm not an adulterer, but he is; I'm not a thief, but she is; I don't covet, but they do. Look how great I am compared to those people over there.

We have all been judged unworthy of the eternal gifts of God. Nothing we do will redeem us from the gifts that we truly deserve, but then there's God.

Through the darkness of our lives there is a light shining in the far distance. Can you see it?

Over the horizon rises a new day where we are made whole again. Can you feel it?

We don't deserve new life, but we are provided with this gift through Jesus.

Humble yourself, so that you may be exalted before the king.

Luke 18:9-14 New International Version (NIV)

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. ¹² I 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.”