I Had It All Wrong

Growing up I was always trying to prove myself. I had a habit of doing good things so others would see how good I was. I wanted the credit. I wanted to be noticed. I wanted to be necessary. 

I never felt bad about striving for the top. I thought that good grades and involvement in the "right" things would get me recognition and status. This, I believed, would lead to a college degree and then an important career that would earn me lots of money, status and power. Some of that day dream came true. Some did not. 

I was never looked down upon for striving for success. Just the opposite. Praised. Pushed. Accepted. I was fully addicted to myself, my status, my plan. Praise and respect were my drug of choice.

In this next verse of thanks the main character is looking down upon others around him. He sees himself as better than them. More worthy of praise and respect.

In Jesus' ministry He taught in parables (a simple story to teach moral principles, many times having two meanings). This parable was taught toward the end of His ministry.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Jesus' audience was made up of those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else. He told of two men that were at the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee... Stop there. Let's see who, exactly, a Pharisee is.

One of three major religious societies of Judaism at the time of the New Testament, Pharisees were often the most vocal and influential.

The Hebrew form means separatists, or separated one. They were also known as chasidim, which means loyal to God, or love of God - rather ironic as they made themselves the most bitter, and deadly opponents of Jesus and His message.

Pharisees probably meant to obey God, but over time they became so devoted and extremist in very limited parts of The Law (or the Pentateuch - the first five books of the Old Testament). Besides that, they are noted as adding their own laws to God's Law. This caused them to become rather blind to The Messiah when He was in their very midst. They saw His miracles, they heard His words, but instead of receiving it with joy, they did all that they could to stop Him - eventually to the point of getting Him killed because He truthfully claimed to be the Son of God. Which they claimed was blasphemy.

In part from Daily Bible Study by Wayne Blank.

Back to our story. ...the other was a tax collector. Just so you know, tax collectors were seen as crooks in Jesus' day. They had a reputation of skimming off the top. They were not a very well liked group of men. 

"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector." Luke 18:11

He went on to brag about all the good and right things that he does regularly. Then we see the tax collector off in the distance humbly unable to look to heaven and begging God's mercy and admitting his sin.

Jesus taught that the second man (tax collector) went home justified before God. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14b)

I read in a commentary that the Pharisee prayed, not only, "about" himself but some view that he may have been praying "to" himself. He was that absorbed in himself and all his good works.

I can see that before I had a relationship with Jesus, I was very much like the Pharisee - addicted to myself. Humility was something that I considered a weakness. I still struggle with Pharisaical behavior to some degree. It's a continuous battle not to seek credit and do good things for the wrong reason - I'm pretty sure I don't come off as "pious" but I do get caught up in ritual and practice over the heart's desire at times.

As I learn more about my Savior and see His example of love and grace and sacrifice I see that I've had it all wrong. Inside out. Backwards. I need to focus more on being a glory giver, not a glory getter.

God created me for a purpose. His purpose. Not my purpose. Not the world's purpose. His purpose. When I submit to His authority and listen for His voice. When I humble myself and follow His lead and do His work. Things like loving when I want to hate. Being tender when I want to allow the claws to come out. Refrain from paying sin for sin. This is not easy. I fail. But when God graciously allows this fallen one to succeed in His love and grace. When He fills me so full of His spiritual gifts that they flow out and others are actually able to see Jesus in me... that's when the fullness of life comes in. The peace. The joy. It would be neat to become nearly invisible... mostly Jesus with just a little flavor of Merrie. Now that would be something to be thankful for! I'm sure my family would be thankful.

We give thanks to God for good reason. First of all, we are not and never can be God. The Pharisee's thanksgiving prayer (to himself) was all wrong. Even though he did "all the right things" he didn't realize the source of all goodness. God is our source of true success. His measure is different than ours, however. He looks at the inside, our hearts, our reasons, the deep, real, true reasons for doing the things we do. Are we seeking recognition and praise for ourselves or are we following Him and His ways so others see His shining glory? I have a Bible teacher that says if we want to complement her on an idea or principle she taught, please preface it with "Praise God" - so the credit goes in the right direction and she doesn't get a puffed up head. And we don't begin to worship the wrong god. We are fallen no matter how hard we try and how good we look. Our only perfection comes through Jesus' blood. Unearned. A gift.

There is a song by Casting Crowns called "Who Am I" and I love the lyrics, "Not because of what I've done, But because of who You are." Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcqria2wmg 

Oswald Chambers states the problem we have with ourselves:

The continual grubbing on the inside to see whether we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God. Until we get into a right relationship to God, it is a case of hanging on by the skin of our teeth, and we say - What a wonderful victory I have got! There is nothing indicative of the miracle of Redemption in that. Launch out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete, and then bother no more about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ said - pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints, pray for all men. Pray on the realization that you are only perfect in Christ Jesus, not on this plea - "O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me."

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. 

The Pharisee had it all wrong. I had it all wrong. Seeing ourselves for who we truly are (on the inside), seeking God's grace and forgiveness and then thanking Him for being the source of all goodness is how we need to see, how we need to live. It's a lot less stressful. A lot more joyful. Simply full. Thank full.

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b

Enemy of the Best

In our break-neck, fast-paced world, immediate gratification is the norm. Patience seems to be no longer a virtue worth striving for. Gratitude and proper etiquette for things or deeds received, especially if they take "too" long, seems to have gone to the way-side. We have learned to settle for "good enough" because it taps us of less of our resources, time and energy.

Is good enough good enough? Is settling for the immediate gratification fix best for us in the long run? Or even in the right now? Are we seeking the right sources for our needs, our hurts, our relationships, our healing? Are we cheating ourselves of receiving the best by settling for good?

In this next verse of thanks there is a beautiful and powerful example of taking the extra steps from good to best and recognizing the true source of complete healing.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and He was between Samaria and Galilee. On His journey He met ten men with leprosy. Recognizing Him as Jesus, they called out to Him for pity. Jesus, knowing their needs, healed them from that distance and told them to report to the priests (for they had to verify their cleansing and okay them to return to society). One of these men, seeing that he was healed, came back to Jesus praising God.

"He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan." Luke 17:16

Jesus wondered where the other nine were - and by His words, I'm going to assume there were Jews among the ten lepers - because He said, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:17-18) A little side-note: Jews and Samaritans didn't normally associate. Jews viewed Samaritans as unclean half-breeds being of mixed blood as a result of left behind Israelite exiles that intermarried with Gentiles brought in by the Assyrians. Plus the Samaritans looked down upon the Jews because of the hostility displayed when they destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. Simply put, they were basically enemies in society's eyes. However, Jesus didn't live by the rules of men. Jesus asserted that love knows no national boundaries. So this coming together, in and of itself, was quite miraculous not to mention that Jesus cleansed him of his disease and outcast status by His divine power.

Now comes the best part of the story. The part that recognizes the true source of complete healing and brings us from good to best. This Samaritan leper, now healed and returned to Jesus to praise and thank Him for this miracle, not only receives physical healing but also spiritual healing. Jesus said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19) This use of "well" means healed or saved. His sins were forgiven and he could now experience God's peace.

You see, the other nine, though they were healed and to be received back into society - which was HUGE and certainly good - really missed out on the best. They missed out because they didn't bother to thank Jesus for His good work for their cleansing. They missed out on being saved for eternity. They didn't recognize the source of their healing. They took their eyes off of Jesus and headed for the priestly blessing back into society rather than giving thanks to God and receiving the complete healing from sins' uncleanliness and eternal separation from God.

Oswald Chambers puts it so well in his words from "My Utmost for His Highest" - "The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best... Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God."

Setting our eyes on God, on the redemptive work of the Son of Man on the cross is the key to receiving THE BEST. Salvation.

"No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up - and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life." (John 3:14-15 MSG)

This giving thanks for God's good gifts which brings us yet more blessings from His hand is highlighted in Ann Voskamp's work "One Thousand Gifts." She asks, "Is this paradox - that giving thanks for what is, creates an appetite for more - not for more things, but for seeking more of God to give more glory?" The Samaritan's appetite was whet by Jesus' healing. It wasn't enough for him. He needed to return and be truly and completely healed, saved. He needed to return and give thanks for the good and receive the best for his obedience in seeing and acknowledging the true source of his healing.

"... they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10 NASB)

Jesus is the true source of healing. Complete healing. When we keep our eyes on Him and give Him thanks for what is, He blesses us with more than we ask for. That's my Jesus' style. He's the source of real life - here on earth and one day in heaven. Don't settle for good when you can receive the best by seeking Him, returning to Him and being healed.

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b