This month’s hope blog comes from Micah Tyler and his devotional “Walking Free: Taking Small Steps to a Big God.”
The biggest difference in Jesus’ parable between the prayers of these two men was the attitude of their hearts.
The Pharisee focused on his external behavior: “Look at what I haven’t done that’s bad and all I have done that’s good.” That is religion. Focus on do.
The tax collector zeroed in on the state of his heart: “God, I don’t even deserve to look Your way, but please give me Your mercy for my wrongs.” That is redemption. Focus on be.
Comparing ourselves to other people is such a destructive practice. Like the Pharisee, we can exalt ourselves by claiming how much better we are than someone else. But becoming our own standard never works. In our culture today, particularly on social media, we compare ourselves to people who we believe are better or have something better than us, whether in appearance, talent, or possession. Others become the standard, which also never works.
Comparison can also allow us to make excuses for our own behavior. Then, we go backward in our growth or get stagnant and stuck. For the Christ-follower, whatever reason we choose to look at other people and take our eyes off Jesus will result in no longer walking in freedom. In that case, religion wins, and we don’t live out our redemption.
Religion focuses on rule-keeping and checking boxes for approval or disapproval. But, in attempting to be “good enough for God,” we can become imprisoned by a checklist. The Ten Commandments weren’t given to us so we would know how to be perfect every day, but to show us that we desperately need God. We will never measure up to His holiness. We can’t meet His standard, even on our best day. But, our need for Him is also an invitation from Him to be fulfilled in Him. To live the life of the redeemed.
Religion can also falsely create a sliding scale for us to think that some sins are worse than others—a manmade concept. Redemption comes when we accept that Jesus can forgive us for everything we have done, are doing, and will ever do, as we walk in forgiveness. Only then can we experience walking in freedom.
How much do you struggle with comparing yourself to others?
How might focusing more on the redemption of Jesus in your own life help you walk in freedom?