Day 189 "Pride and humility can never co-habitate–one must go."

Day 189 Matthew 23:14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. One thing I have learned over the years, as I am sure many of you have, is that those who protest or practice almost religiously various actions are generally ones who have failed in that area themselves, and in many cases, are continuing to fail. Like the old saying, "There's nothing worse for a smoker than to be around an ex-smoker." Once we have victory over particular habits or sins, our tendency is to become a crusader against such things. However, this is not what Jesus is talking about here. He is speaking of those who truly fit the description of hypocrite–they put on airs in public and in private practice the very actions they protest against. The scribes and Pharisees wore large prayer boxes made of leather on their forehead or hand called phylacteries (mentioned in Matthew 23:5) during the morning and evening prayer times. The reason theirs were large was because they wanted to give the impression that they were more spiritual than others; in their pride they had decided bigger boxes meant greater stature. However, these men of so-called great spiritual stature were not practicing the greatest of all commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind," but were rather, in fact, storing up treasures for themselves at the expense of others, in particular, the widows. They were putting on spiritual airs in order to cover up the deceit and wickedness in their hearts, all for their own personal earthly gain. Jesus begins this passage with the word "Woe" and, in this particular dialog with the people, He mentions it eight times; therefore, we should pay particular attention to the word and the phrase that follows it, correct? The word "woe" is used to express deep regret, grief, distress, and ruinous trouble; therefore, when Jesus says "woe," it means look out, you are headed for deep regret, grief, distress, and ruinous trouble, if you continue on this path. Woe! I think that might be enough to make me stop, how about you? Jesus is telling the people don't do this; don’t put on a show for people to see in order to cover your tracks. If you’re an addict who desires to remain an addict, be an addict; if you’re a liar and desire to remain a liar, be a liar; and so on, but do not speak and act one way in public in order to cover your private actions or lifestyle. I believe that God will have more patience with those who admit who they are than He will those who are trying to cover their tracks, don't you? The truth of the matter is when we purpose in our hearts to deceive others for our own gain, we are now responsible for the actions of those we deceive. When the truth comes out, as it will, we will be under the greater judgment. When Ted Haggard fell and his sin came to light, there were most likely some who strayed from the Lord as a result of his failure. However, had he come forward, confessed his sin, and asked forgiveness before being caught, I firmly believe grace would have abounded and possibly more people would have come to Christ as a result. Why, you ask? Because, if a man of God can admit that he, too, is struggling with sin, then the common sin-burdened man can now suddenly realize that he is not alone in his battle, and fear of being the only one in sin has kept many from admitting their failures. However, in this case, the opposite would actually be more the case, because of his hypocrisy, he fed the lie of the enemy that all Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. Yes, we leaders have a greater responsibility; however, with that comes greater opportunity. It really is all about how we approach it and how much pride we have. Daily Prayer: Father, I pray that each of us would be willing and strong enough to swallow our pride and be real with you and everyone we meet. Teach us, Lord, and show us Your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Pride and humility can never co-habitate–one must go." Gene Burroughs, Pastor