” Memory Verse
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Luke 18:14
Today’s Devotional
Your intentions matter to God, he sees them:
“For the word of God is… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
And he judges them, like he did with Eliab and refused him from the throne:
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
When you pray to God, he sees your heart, no wonder Jesus said:
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25
Unforgiveness can’t be seen physically, so a person can remain totally unforgiving for years and nobody would know asides the one who sees his heart, the same applies with pride and envy. In the main verse, the Pharisees, in his prayer to God, considered himself better than someone else and if that was true, his response should have been praying for the publican but instead he felt God owed him more and the main verse was God’s fitting response to the woeful state of his heart.
Bible Reading Plan
Joshua 19
Ephesians 2