Episode 1588: Humble Faith

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Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 1,588 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

Ahmard Vital: I'm Ahmard Vital. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to seek community for success is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this.

Inspire Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

Scott Maderer: We've stopped following Jesus and we've started following ourselves, and we truly need to come back to humility and pray. Have mercy on me, a sinner, and pray that with joy. And humility and openness to the words that God is speaking in our heart. [00:01:00] Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in your. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk about Luke chapter 18 verses nine through 14. I talk about how prayer should be a habit, but it's not enough that it's a habit. And I share how the power of prayer, at least in part, comes from the spirit of humility. Luke chapter 18 verses nine through [00:02:00] 14 says, he also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.

Two men went up to the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and the other, a tax collector. The Pharisee standing by himself was praying. Thus, God, I thank you that I'm not like other people, thieves, rogues, adulterers, and even like this tax collector, I fast twice a week. I give a 10th of all my income, but the tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. Last week I talked about how some of Jesus' parables are difficult to hear and they seem subtle, or their application [00:03:00] seems elusive, and other times it's a little direct and straightforward and maybe even a little too direct for us to hear.

And often you see one like this and you think, I get it. I understand what this is, and good thing, it's not about me. 'cause I'm humble and I am able to see myself in this, which is exactly the point of the parable in the first place. I don't think any of us would ever think of putting ourselves in the place of that Pharisee and praying that prayer that says I'm so glad I'm not like other people.

But go back to the beginning, it says, he told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. And the truth is, I think all of us at times are tempted. To look at others and say, oh, look at their sin. [00:04:00] Look at what they're doing, how much better I am, because I'm so glad it's not me that's doing that particular problem, that's not doing that particular sin, that's not making that particular stupid mistake stake.

Maybe we wouldn't stand up in the middle of church and pray that out loud. Though I've actually heard people pray that out loud. But I would also say, I don't think most of us are very likely to stand up in church and pray what the tax collector did as well. And I'm not sure I would want to attend a service regularly where everyone was beating their own breast all the time and talking about how horrible they were.

So if these aren't really models of what we're supposed to do in prayer, a good example and a bad example. Then what are we supposed to take away from this parable? I think in part, I think we're supposed to take away the fact that prayer is [00:05:00] multidimensional. It's complex. Not hard to do per se, but hard to do in a good way.

Last week I talked about the beginning of the 18th chapter of Luke and the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow. And that's one of those weird stories or huh? Stories that there's a negative example to tell us about God. But we talked about the fact that it's not just about that.

Habit is something that we keep doing when it comes to prayer, but yes, prayer is consistent. Not a one-off or a last act, but it's about filling ourselves up with prayer. And if you think about it, if that story came right before this story, which it does, it might help put this story into perspective. If persistence and patterns of behavior were all that mattered, then clearly the Pharisee is the hero of the story.

[00:06:00] He's been following the rules and doing what he's been told to do. Yes, habit and frequency and regularity is important, but so is intent. Or the spirit in which we approach prayer. Think about habits in general. Habits can be really good and habits can be bad, and habits can even just be rote empty action.

What really makes the impact of the habit on your wellbeing is the intent, the attitude that you bring to the encounter. Jesus is looking at the difference between kind of a closed system of prayer where the Pharisee was sure they'd already done everything needed, and therefore they didn't really need God.

They'd followed all of the rules. They'd done it on their own to an open [00:07:00] system where the tax collector approaches and knows that he owes everything and needs everything. And God is the only thing that can fill that up. It's the willing spirit to come to God in humility and say, I'm not enough. I can't do this on my own.

I fail all of the time. I need you, God. The next parable that comes after this is the one about Jesus's encounter with the little children where he says, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. So again, attitude. The intent is important, but why bother? Then what?

What about the effect? Here's where we get into even more layers. If Jesus is keen on the spirit we bring to prayer, the attitude [00:08:00] we bring to prayer, then there must be some effect that is to be accomplished because of that spirit, right? If prayer is simply a conversation with God, then what would be the desired effect?

What's the desired effect of talking to people, of building relationship with people? And that's it. It's relationship. It's about life giving, soul sustaining direction, giving comfort, sharing and challenge offering relationship. So if I come to God and I'm already full, already righteous, already convinced that I've got it all together, already trusting myself fully, then there's no room for relationship.

Think about it. When you get into a discussion with someone else and you believe that you already have all of the answers, that you already know everything you need to know that you are fully able to handle this on your own. [00:09:00] You don't really need that other person. And if there is a relationship, it's lopsided and lopsided in this case, in the wrong direction.

The prayer that really carries us into God's presence is one where that intent is one of humility. It's not about judgment. It's not about God's angry if we do it wrong. It's about how. Two things can't be in the same place at the same time. Our will and God's will cannot both occupy our hearts at the same time.

We have to actually step back and allow room for answers to prayer. We've got to come with humility in the journey. In the walk of faith, we've got to recognize that we don't know for sure that we've got it all right. In fact, we probably know for [00:10:00] sure that we've got some of it wrong, if not all of it wrong.

And the minute we start taking on a holier than thou, I know what's right for me and I know what's right for you, and I know what's right for everyone else kind of attitude. We've stopped following Jesus and we started following ourselves. And we truly need to come back to humility and pray. Have mercy on me, a sinner, and pray that with joy and humility and openness to the words that God is speaking in our heart.

Thanks for listening.

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