At God’s mercy
by Pastor Jim Strelan
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‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ (Luke 18:13).
We all know that we’re saved by grace through faith. Only grace. So, there’s no way that we would be in the category of those who were confident of their own righteousness, is there?
Is there? Don’t we feel pretty good about our regular church attendance, our involvement in the local church community, and our good standing? We see and hear the bad way some people act, and, to be honest, we can confidently say that we’re not like that. Not even close. And because we can identify those feelings in ourselves, the truth is that, deep down, we look down on everybody else. We’d firmly defend ourselves if anyone brought that accusation, but maybe it’s true.
When the pharisee thanks God that he’s not like others and doesn’t do the things they do, he’s probably speaking the truth. But it’s that low-down, cheating, traitor-of-a-tax-collector (traitor because he’s a lackey for the Romans) who goes home justified before God. Why? Because he knows what God knows – he has no leg to stand on; he’s just a sinner. So is the pharisee, but he’s too full of himself to acknowledge it.
The tax collector stood at a distance; he would not even look up to heaven. That is humility. It’s as though he is saying: ‘God, I’m at your mercy!’ And now God can do what he loves to do best. He can give his tick of approval – you are right with me!
Living in grace means we can do all the God-pleasing things because we love doing them, knowing that they don’t really amount to much if we’re trying to earn brownie points with God. We are sinners, every bit of us, but God forgives us and declares us to be saints.
God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Because I am stripped bare, it’s hard to lift my head. But I do so that I can see your mercifully outstretched hand, welcoming me. Thank you. Amen.
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