Lessons in Advent | Day Eighteen - Luke 18:14

 

In this parable, the tax collector starts with a statement that most believers have probably thought at one point in their life, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men..." (v:11)

How many times have you seen someone acting in an ungodly manner and shook your head and thanked God that you know better than to behave in this manner. Whilst it's right to thank God for setting us apart from those in the world, because of the sacrifice of the cross, we shouldn't think of ourselves as being better than them.

The only thing that makes us different to people in the world is knowledge. We have knowledge of who God is and what his word says, this puts us in a position of privilege. Those in the world don't have the same knowledge we have, so they are going to behave in the manner that comes natural to them.

Even with our knowledge of the things of God, we still make mistakes and stumble. This in many cases is worse than an unbeliever who sins because we do so from a position of knowledge. We know that what we are doing is wrong and yet we still do it.

So, instead of thanking God that we are not like people in the world, we should pray that they will be more like us, or even better, more like Jesus.