Holy Grit — Confronting Legalism with Grace - wednesday
Today’s Verse
Luke 18:13-14
“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 all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NIV)
I was technically my high school football team’s starting punter—but I punted exactly once. Recruited from the soccer team because I could kick far, I trained for months to perfect my form. Finally, my big moment arrived. All I had to do was catch the snap and punt it like I'd practiced. And I did catch it! But when I planted my foot—or rather, slid it through the mud—I kicked the ball about 30 yards straight up. Turns out being labeled "punter" and later “State Champion” didn't mean much when my moment to punt revealed the truth. Hypocrisy can feel a lot like that.
Either we prop ourselves up with hypocrisy or shove others down with it, and at the root of it, nobody earns the grace we position as the result of obedience. We can never contribute enough or make up for our sins, and deep down, we know that. We just want to feel like we do. The thing about judging others by metrics we set ourselves is that we judge ourselves on our intentions and others by their actions. That’s when our hypocrisy becomes apparent.
There are so many passages of Scripture where Jesus confronts people who are displaying “perfection” but living imperfectly. My advice? Instead of viewing people by the areas you win or struggle in your faith, view them the way Jesus does: through the lens of the cross. Grace covers everyone who believes in Him, and we all move toward sanctification in different ways. It’s not up to us to decide.
REFLECTION
What area of your life do you need to surrender to God’s grace, an area you maintain as your something to get “fixed” or “correct” before surrendering it? Could that be a place where you are also hypocritical of others?
