Admitting I Was Wrong

Admitting I Was Wrong

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus talks about the Pharisee and the publican (tax collector) praying. The Pharisee was so self-righteous that he could not see his own sin. He arrogantly compared himself to a tax collector as though he was better than the other guy. I have observed that when we compare ourselves to others, it is either with an attitude or pride (I’m not like that person) or pity (I wish I could be like that person). Either way is wrong and hinders us from being who we are in Christ.

The tax collector knew that he has been dishonest in many of his dealings. Without comparing himself to anyone but God’s standards (Jesus Christ), he comes to God and begs for mercy and forgiveness. He knows how he has behaved in the past and he knows what many people think of him. He knows that he has not lived perfectly by God’s standards and that he is in need of forgiveness. His heart is humble and sincere before God.

Before we can be forgiven of anything, we must admit what it is that we need to be forgiven of. Saying, “Forgive me of my sins” without taking a personal assessment to identify those particular sins is not as life changing and effective as asking forgiveness for … and naming the exact behavior. Until we admit what we have done wrong, we are not going to identify the temptation that lead to that wrong and change our behavior.

Until we see and acknowledge what we are doing, we will not make any effort to change it. We will be like the Pharisee instead of the tax collector. When we identify a specific wrong behavior, then we can look at the temptation that triggered that behavior and make an effort to change how we handle that temptation in the future.

Once you become adept at recognizing the temptations in your life, you will become skilled at resisting those temptations. By so doing, you will become more like Christ. That is the power that Jesus give you – the power to resist temptation and refrain from sin.

May God guide and bless you as you seek to follow Him more perfectly. May He help you recognize temptation and turn away from it before it becomes sin.

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