The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Luke 18:11(KJV)
A mother and
son hiked through a wooded area. The boy asked his mom the names of each tree
he saw. She deftly identified the oak, elm, maple, and pine. The boy replied "Wow, Mom! All these trees are named after streets!"
The Pharisee
in the Bible verse above got it backwards too. Only his confusion wasn’t funny.
Making matters worse, he professed his false freedom from corruption to the
only one who could release him from guilt.
People still
make the Pharisee’s mistake. They may regard themselves in perfect harmony with
God’s will but they miss their need for forgiveness. Almost as bad are those
who think themselves so perverse that they could never address the holy God in
prayer. They are unaware or suspicious of the Savior’s powerful love.
Confessing
sins isn’t popular or enjoyable. Confess a wrongdoing to someone you offended
and you may hear "Don’t let it happen again."
Discuss your guilt feelings with the wrong person and you’ll hear, "Oh,
there’s no such thing as sin. Do whatever you want. After all, you only
live once." And then we also
know "comforters" who say something lie, "Oh that’s
okay. You didn’t mean it."
Fortunately, we receive the best response
when we confess our sins to Jesus. We say something like "Dear Jesus I
hate sin. But I sin anyway. Today …Please forgive me and strengthen me to fight
sin."
Jesus responds, "I died to take away
your sins. You are forgiven, and you needn’t feel guilty anymore. I will
send the Holy Spirit to help you fight sin. Go in peace."
Janet Irene Thomas
Director, Playwright, Gospel Lyricist, Screenwriter
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of Fine & Performing Arts
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