Day 9 | Luke 9
“Whoever welcomes this little child in My Name welcomes Me…” (Luke 9:48 NIV)
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”(Luke 9:50 NIV)
Was there ever anyone in your life that just made you feel bad about yourself? They didn’t even have to do anything, they maybe acted superior or it seemed like they thought they were better than you. We’ve probably all encountered it. Now let’s turn inward. Have you ever thought of yourself as above another person? It may have even seemed justifiable. This is when you are in danger of religious pride.
I can easily think of examples for both of these scenarios in my life. And both are damaging to our faith and effectiveness. When you feel that others are judging you and won’t accept you into the church, there is painful division. And when you judge other people and think of yourself as better than them, you separate yourself from them; you can’t love them like God does because you think of yourself as so far above them.
In this passage, Jesus asks His disciples to welcome the children and He asks them to NOT stop the one who is doing good in His Name. There are many reasons we can think of to reject people or, at the very least, not welcome them but we must have humility and realize they are as deserving or undeserving as we are. A great enemy of unity and growth in the church is religious pride.
Look in your heart and find what ugliness religious pride has created in you. Forgive those who have judged you and don’t let them dictate whether or not you succeed in ministry. And stop judging others who are not yours to judge. Welcome God’s children of all ages and join me in asking God to remove religious pride.
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