  
|
| About Us | Short Sermons About Him! | About His Word! |
| Topical Studies | Songs of the Church - MP3 | Bible Studies |
| Devotionals | Thoughts on The Life of Christ | Daily Humor |
|
About-Him.Com Devotional 04-02-2005
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. 172: Parable of the Unjust Judge and the Pharisee and the Publican Luke 18:1-14 Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Men ought always to pray. The Psalmist said , Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Ps 55:17). The epistles tell us to be instant in prayer (Ro. 12:12). We can have contact with the throne of God while we are doing our daily mundane tasks. Some folks talk on cell phones while driving, we can be talking to the Master. We should worry about nothing, but take everything to the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6). As the old song says, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we will not carry, everything to God in prayer." 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. Jesus gave a contrast between the poor defenseless widow and the powerful judge, that fits us all. We are utterly powerless and at the mercy of the powers that be, except that we have a judge that we can take our petitions to with the confidence that He hears us. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. The widow came continually to the judge with one cry, "Avenge me of my adversaries." Jesus assured us that He hears our petitions. The answer may not come immediately, but we must not stop presenting it to Him. Surely, God will come to the aid of His elect, just as this unjust judge did for the poor widow. 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Prayer and faith are inseparable. Will we be found praying when he comes? See Everything to God in Prayerhttp://about-him.com/page26.html 9 . And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisees were known for their long prayers. They would stop on a busy narrow street and spread their arms and make a long prayer, to be seen of men (Matthew 6:5-6). The publicans were a despised class of people who collected taxes for the Romans and cheated people in the process. 11 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. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. The Pharisee reminded God of just how good he was. I don't steal, I'm not unjust, I don't commit adultery, and I'm certainly not like that publican over there. Lord, I fast twice a week and I pay my tithes. Surely you are impressed with me? 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. The publican recognized his unworthiness and cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." One thing I see in common throughout scripture is that great men such as David (Psalms 51) , Daniel (Dan. 9:9-10), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5) and the Psalmists (Psalms 106:6) who had contact with God, recognized their own sinfulness and unworthiness. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Jesus repeated this kingdom principal once more, "If we exalt ourselves we will be abased, if we humble ourselves we will be exalted." Jesus seemed to be constantly hammering on this point. I wonder why we don't get it? In About-Him Yesterday, we took a quick trip through Death Valley to view the wild flowers which are exceptionally heavy this year. We've posted a few pictures and comments, which I believe you will enjoy at http://about-him.com/page61.html Online Sermons http://about-him.com/sermonlink.html Our Bible Studies http://about-him.com/bslinkpage.html Our Music: http://about-him.com/audio.html Flash Theater http://about-him.com/player.html Scripture list on 30 subjects http://about-him.com/wordarc.html Humor
We try to avoid typos, but they and bad spelling invariably slip by. In proof reading this text, I found a reference in the first paragraph to Philippines 4:6 instead of Philippians 4:6. I'm blaming the spell checker.
Somebody Has Said
"It's the last step in a race that counts.
It's the last stroke on a nail that counts. Many a prize has been lost, just when it was ready to be plucked." - Anonymous Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@about-him.com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe@about-him.com
The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh.
It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your
faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 Contact us About Him! Ministries |