Luke 18:14 ~ Daily Devotion July 18 2023

Luke 18:14 (Daily Bible Verse)

Humble yourself before God

Luke 18:14 is a verse drawn from the parable that features the Pharisee and tax collector. Jesus told this parable to some in his audience who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else (Luke 18:9). This is why I have titled this devotion: “Humble yourself before God“.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus told the ones who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else that a Parisee prayerfully thanked God for not being like other like the tax collector. He told them that this Pharisee boasted that he fasted twice a week and tithed faithfully (Luke 18:10-12). But the tax collector asked God to have mercy on him because he was a sinner (Luke 18:13).

Jesus finally concluded the parable by telling His audience that only the tax collector went home justified before God (Luke 18:14a). He then revealed that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14b).

Those who think they are righteous

Therefore, this parable is aimed at those who think they are very righteous and look down on others like the Pharisee that is featured in it. And it is significant that Jesus told this parable within the context of teaching His followers about the timing of the kingdom of God (Luke 17:11-19:27).

Because Jesus wanted to teach his audience the importance of humility with regard to the kingdom of God. And this is really what you ought to take away.

The Pharisee’s prayer was just a manifestation of his lack of humility with regard to the kingdom of God. This is why he prayed with the wrong attitude. Because he was full of pride at the core of his being and life.

Moreover, your attitude is important in prayer because the disposition of your heart is what God focuses on. Because God looks at the disposition of your heart (1 Samuel 16:7). And it is your heart that will project either humility or pride (Proverbs 4:23).

Lessons from Jesus’ teaching

Consequently, from the parable, you can learn that:

1. The Pharisee exalted himself because he prayed about how good (righteous) he was, as compared to others. He, therefore, informed God of the “wrong” things he had not done and the religious practices he had faithfully observed.
2. The tax collector humbled himself because he prayed for God’s mercy. This is because he considered himself a sinner. He, therefore, bowed his head down and kept hitting himself to show how sorry he was.
3. God justified the tax collector who had humbled himself before Him, not the Pharisee who had exalted himself before Him.

Furthermore, the tax collector considered himself a sinner and conducted himself as such. He actually perceived that he was unworthy of any favor from God. He, therefore, humbled himself before God – The Pharisee also treated him as a sinner at the temple grounds.

However, upon leaving the temple grounds, the tax collector was the only one who was justified by God. That is, the tax collector was the only one who was declared righteous (not guilty) by God (Luke 18:14).

Humble yourself before God

The Pharisee who considered himself righteous and even conducted himself as such by exalting (praising) himself before God, ended up not being justified by God. Because when you humble yourself before God, you acknowledge that you cannot earn His favor by your words or deeds. That is, it is only He who can declare you righteous. And this is by faith through Jesus Christ only (John 14:6).

Prayer

Lord, I humble myself before You who exalts. I pray that You grant me the mind that was in Christ so that I may humble myself before You.

This is my prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

1 Samuel 28-31 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))