Luke 18:9–14

ROLCC Daily Devotion
Rolcc English Devotion
3 min readApr 14, 2020

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To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. 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.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’

The Lord used the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector to illustrate the contrast: First was the pray of the Pharisee, which was really not a prayer, but more like an accusation, because he opened the prayer with “God, I thank you that I am not like other men,” as if he is the only good man, and no one else is righteous. He then said “even like this tax collector,” which is a more severe personal attack. Actually, only the Lord knows people’s heart; men can only see what’s on the outside, but only Jehovah can see the hearts. We don’t need to help God to judge people in our prayer, because the Lord knows everyone’s heart. During a marriage counseling process, I suggested that a couple learns to pray together; even before I could finish, the husband shook his head and said, “it’s not that I don’t want to pray, but I can’t stand how she keeps on repent on my behalf.

On the other hand, the prayer of the Pharisee was also a report, as he told God he fasted twice a week and gave one tenth of his income. Actually, God doesn’t care about these outward things, but He wants to see whether our heart is in the right place, whether we love Him with all our heart. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need to attend service or tithe, but what the Lord really wants is a heart that loves the Lord.

On the contrary, the prayer of the tax collector was from the bottom of his heart. He simply acknowledged to God that he’s not worthy, and he understood the significance of God’s grace, so he humbly sought God’s forgiveness. The Lord said that the tax collector was actually more righteous than the Pharisee, because his prayer was heard, but the Pharisee’s prayer was just talking to himself. Is your prayer just talking to yourself before God, or are you praying in the will of God?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, please forgive us, because we often come before you much like the Pharisee. Please help us to recognize that we are weak and not worthy, and help us to come before you like the tax collector and say to you: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Let our hearts to connected to you again, and let your love once again fill our hearts. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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