Luke

Are you familiar with the story in the twelfth chapter of Luke, where Jesus is telling his disciples to beware of the Pharisees and their hypocrisy? Within that chapter He further explains that there’s nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be made known. And as I read this verse over and over, thinking to myself, what an ominous message for wicked church leaders; the words instead glared like flood lights on my own heart. The pharisees had an outward righteousness and inward corruption. They appeared holy and would critique people for their lack of devotion, but behind closed doors they behaved just as bad, if not worse. They were ritualistic and pretentious.  And that’s Christianity for you: raising a mirror to your own heart and seeing your own hypocrisy staring you in the face. And here I am arrested by both disbelief and panic. In what way have I been hypocritical? How often have I judged someone for doing something that I am doing/have done. How many times have I paraded around righteously while doing wickedly behind closed doors? In what manner have I behaved myself a pharisee?

There is nothing hidden that shall not be made known. Can you imagine all your shortcomings laid bare for judgement? But God is merciful. I can’t count the times my hypocrisy slapped me in the face and there was none the wiser. But God made it known to me; I was made conscious of it, so that I could show mercy, change, and be humble. So that I could busy myself with taking the log out of my own eye rather than arrogantly pointing out the log in another’s eye.  How we are so quick to see the ungodliness of another while swimming carefreely in our own! 

All in all, I should not to be arrogant; but rather check my heart, my motives.  Ask the Spirit to search my heart so that I may speak and judge righteously, with wisdom, not emotionally. In this I can bring my case to God, clean and without my own sin condemning me. At the end of the day, leader or follower, some folks are not interested in seeing where they are wrong, and acknowledging their methods were all wrong. So their own sin remains. 

Of all the ways that you could miss heaven, do not let it be because your own pride and arrogance and self-righteousness led you astray. 

Repent of your sins and carry your own cross.

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                                                                           SoulTea

pic via @mybeautifulafrica_