Herald of the Hills

January 14th, 2007                                Leakey church of Christ                                         Weekly Bulletin

“ Al Macias on doing things with the right attitude”

Having a good attitude is so important in the day-to-day areas of our lives, having a good attitude in religious matters is of greater importance. In Luke 18:9-14, we find the Lord referring to a parable in which a Pharisee and a publican went to the temple to pray. Praying is a commandment from God, but not only a commandment, a privilege which has been given to all who are children of God.The Lord told this parable because there were some who were trusting in themselves as being righteous and at the same time were despising others. These people were guilty of having a bad attitude. These two men had gone to the temple to pray. They had gone to do a good thing; however, one had gone to pray with the wrong attitude, and because of that, what he did was unacceptable. When these two men left the temple following their praying to God, the Lord said that only one had left justified, while the other left the temple in just the same way he had come, unjustified. We know that the Pharisee was the guilty one, not only because the Lord declared him to be so, but we know from what he had to say as he prayed. The Pharisee was so full of himself that he kept referring to himself and what a great person he was. The publican prayed with a very different attitude. He was truly sorry for what he had done, and this he showed by his humility in not even lifting his eyes up to heaven, as well as by what he said “God be merciful to me a sinner.” With what kind of attitude do we obey God’s commandments? Let us do all things that we do for the Lord with the right attitude, else we also will have the same outcome this Pharisee had; a sad one, indeed.