JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Luke 18:9 to 14.
Jesus told this story to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
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.’
Jesus said, “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.”
This Light Reflection inspires us to confess our need for God’s mercy in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to stop comparing ourselves with others.
This can lead to division among ourselves. Comparison invites jealousy into our relationships if we don’t think we measure up, or self-righteousness if we think we are better than others.
First Corinthians chapter 12 talks about the church being one body, and warns against division through comparison.
Verse 15 says, “If the foot should say, ‘because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” In this case, the foot feels excluded from the body because it senses that the hand is more important.
Verse 21 says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’” If the eye did say that, it would not be clearly seeing the value of the hand to the work of the church.
There is a better focus point for our faith-keep our eyes on Jesus, and His plan for our lives.
Take the daily challenge to stop comparing ourselves with each other and start seeing our value to God on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Connection, today’s Encounter with Jesus examines the parable of a Pharisee and tax collector.
In Luke 18, Jesus told this story to some people who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like the other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
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.” Jesus said that this man rather than the Pharisee, went home justified before God.
A daily connection with Christ takes us to a humble place of recognizing our need for God’s mercy every single day.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
