Short but Perfect

Last night I found myself in the right place at the perfect time. Due to my job, I haven't been able to attend church a lot in the last few months. My class got out early yesterday and because of that, I was able to go to Way of Life Community Church in Rising Sun, MD.

After a wonderful worship session, Pastor Wade Haskins gave a short but perfect talk. He said, "Our picture of God will determine our dependence level." Let that sink in for a minute. I actually tuned him out for a while because I was stuck thinking about that statement he made. If we don't see God how we need to, how are we going to depend on him? We need to depend on God more than a baby depends on his parents, more than a student depends on their teacher, and more than an employee depends on their boss.

Pastor Wade also talked about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This parable was written to "some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else." Luke 18:10-14 says, "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I would have never linked what Pastor Wade said to this Parable, but it is the perfect example. As you and I go on with our day-to-day life, I pray that we pray as the tax collector did. A big part of being a christian is remembering that we are sinners. In God's eyes sin is sin, there is no measurement of which one is greater. So, this next week or weekend, really think about how you picture God because in the end, that will determine how much you depend on him.