In God we Trust

Today’s Gospel Text:  He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Reflection: Here it is; a message for some who trust in themselves and consider that they are righteous and despise others. (vs.9)

And if you thought that this is the only category of people who exist, then you could be wrong.

For there are some who trust in themselves and may not despise others.

There could be some who could trust in themselves and know that they are not righteous and yet may not take steps in any positive directions, beginning with the need for self-distrust.

They could be some who may rarely trust in themselves and may have a very low self-image about themselves.

And there could be categories who swing according to moods or vacillate between the various categories.

What then is the right attitude for a Christian and why should they not follow one of the above categories of people?

The right attitude is that of distrusting oneself and trusting God in all things and everything.  We cannot trust ourselves totally for we are capable of deceiving ourselves, especially when it comes to the eternal path and  in recognizing the God of our salvation.

It is this deception which has been the cause of the birth of many religions, each deceived into creating their own and also creating the many divisions in the church of God. 

To those deceived, even a statement like this can create great bit of insecurity and hurt and may be wrongly interpreted to mean the things they understand as right.

God in Christ Jesus came to reveal to the whole of humanity the pathway to eternal salvation and hence he is the one to be trusted, he who proved himself by the action of the cross.

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust you and receive the justice which you have established through your passion, death and resurrection.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us