And
he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God
knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination
in the sight of God.
Luke
16:15
As a child of God we
seek to please our Creator; not those who were created like us… Luke reminds us
today that we can fool people as we seek to find justification in and through
them; however, the heart with which your actions derive from is what God takes
note of… I know how hard it is to accept people not liking or accepting you;
however, Luke brings our attention to the fact that the people we seek to
please cannot get us to the Eternal Rest that we desire… As you journey through
life, what is your objective each and every day? When you open your eyes, when
you open the door to leave; what is your mind set on to accomplish… Are you
striving to hear the words well done from
your supervisor or your father…? When you are faced with a choice and it will lead
you to your divine destiny or away from it, which path do you choose…? Despite what people may want you to
believe, pleasing God and obtain His approval is all that matters… The
question that aligns with this statement is do we really believe… The answer to
this question is not given verbally, but lies in our walk upon this earth… It
isn’t about what you say you’re about, it’s about what you display that your
about… Yes, you can be highly esteemed
among men and yet find yourself being an abomination in the sight of God… There are a lot of us walking this
earth that fit this description… We have completely strayed away from the path that
God outlined for us; however, we believe that everything is under control
because we are getting the proverbial pat on the back from our friends and
colleagues… There are so many people who are fooling themselves because they believe
that actually can fool God since they are able to fool others… Luke writes
today about the difference between being men pleasers and a pleaser of God… The
bible tells us that you cannot serve two masters and Luke reminds us today that
when we are justified by men, our heart is known by God and it is indeed a (n)
abomination to Him… This verse is recorded after Jesus has told the parable of
the shrewd manager and how he tried to obtain stability through the debtors of
his master by lowering their debts… We may not be engaging in evil like this
manager; however, we often find ourselves (much like this manager Jesus speaks
about) seeking approval of men at the detriment of our heavenly Master… After
telling this story the bible says that the Pharisees began to sneer at Jesus…
At this, Jesus than uttered the words recorded here in the 15th
verse… The Pharisees were a very vocal religious sector of Judaism that
believed they were the most loyal to God… They were so caught up in themselves
that they did not recognize who Jesus was or what He was here to do… Instead of
seeking Jesus, they were the ones Jesus speaks about when He says, “they
which justify yourselves before men…”
We
are challenged and tempted at just about every turn of life; however, we must
stay the course in our faith and not deter… It’s so easy to get bogged down in
being justified before men… We want to fit in, we want to be cool, we want to be
seen in a certain light; however we are reminded today that the light of God
will never go out and that is the light which we must seek to shine upon us… I
have often wondered why it is that so many churches are being built but yet so
many souls are being lost… Jesus tells us today why this is when He says, “God
knoweth your hearts…” It is very easy to fool man, if you see me in church
every Sunday, if you see me leading devotion, if you see me at Bible Study or
any other church event it is very easy for you to say that man is a devoted
follower of God… However, just like the Pharisees we are in church but our
heart (the motivation and desires we have) are not of God and therefore we fall
short… The bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your
heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Your
heart is what this battle is all about… When your heart is aligned with the
will of God you don’t care what people think, you aren’t seeking the approval
of men and you don’t desire to be justified according to their standards… The
same is true when your heart is focused on the world; you may be in church but
you pray a little longer so people will notice, you shout a little louder so
people can hear you and you poke your chest out so people can recognize your
stature… For these kinds of people we are told that they “already have their
reward…” For those following God, your reward is being stored up and
prepared for you; for those following the world everything you see is what you
will get until your life is over… Another way to examine this text today is
about values and standards of life… We often talk about values and standards
that we must have. We discuss how the world sees us and how you have already
been put into a category. In Luke 16 we are called to understand that we are
not here to please the eye (as Jesus points out the Pharisees in verse 15), but
God. So many get caught up in prestige and riches, but in the end God wants to
know who you helped with what you were given. Chapter 16 covers a lot of topics
and in the end Jesus tells a parable of the rich man and the beggar. The rich
man had the prestige and wealth, but he was missing JESUS and his opportunities
to edify other individuals. As a result, he ended up in hell. I say that to say
this, material things can’t get you to heaven, but belief in Jesus and helping others will surely put you on the right
path…
BE BLESSED!!!
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