"God be merciful to me, the sinner"

Read this many times and each time is convicting.

"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Sometimes it's just thinking to the self and not even in prayer, like the Pharisee that I am doing something better, different, right compared to another or a standard I make. I give myself a pat on the back unknowingly. Lack of faith, gratitude, humility, and full of self-dependence. Must come before the High King, broken.


beginning to really like the gospels

directions for dealing with sins

Some ways to deal with sins (from Respectable Sins)
1. apply the Gospel
-remember we are already forgiven
-we are credited Christ's righteousness
2. rely on the Holy Spirit
3. recognize our responsibility; pursue steps for dealing with sins
4. identify specific areas of acceptable sins
5. have scripture to each subtle sin
6. pray over sins we tolerate
7. involve other believers

It's been so helpful to just think about these things and think about why even bother to deal with sin. Dealing with sin just always seems so frustrating, like a forced obligation, undesirable... but no Romans 6 says we are free from the bondage of sin. And the greatest thing isn't just our sanctification but what our sanctification leads to --> seeing and treasuring God even more(!) because sin separates us from God. It's already evident that sin separates people.

What I have given up for Christ

"I have given up a life of absolute loss, and in return I have received a life of absolute gain."

Christine Winarko