OUR DAILY BREAD : UNDESERVED PRAISE

[cimi]

October 21
Tuesday


UNDERSERVED
PRAISE

READ:
Luke 5:27-32
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I have not come to
call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance,
__Luke 5:32
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Even before I could afford a self-cleaning oven, I managed to keep my oven clean. Guests even commented on it when we had them over for a meal. "Wow, your oven is so clean. It looks like new." I accepted the praise even though I knew I didn't deserve it. The reason my oven was clean had nothing to do with my meticulous scrubbing; it was clean because I so seldom used it.

How often, I wonder, am I guilty of accepting undeserved admiration for my "clean" life? It's easy to give the impression of being virtuous; simply do nothing difficult, controversial, or upsetting to people. But Jesus said we are to love people who don't agree with us, who don't share our values, who don't even like us. love requires that we get involved in the messy situations of people's lives. Jesus was frequently in trouble with religious leaders who were more concerned about the spiritual condition of those they were supposed to care for. They considered Jesus and His disciples unclean for mingling with sinners when they were simply trying to rescue people from their destructive way of life (Luke 5:30-31).

True disciples of Jesus are willing to risk their own reputations to help others out of the mire of sin. __Julie Ackerman Link

```````````````````````Dear Lord, give me a heart of compassion for``````````````````````
```````````````````````those who are lost in sin. Help me not to be``````````````````````
```````````````````````concerned about what others think of me but``````````````````````
````````````````````````only that Your holy name will be honored.```````````````````````
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Christ sends us out to bring others in.

********************************Today's Bible Reading __ Luke 5:27-32***********************************

27 After these things He
went out and saw a tax
collector named Levi,
sitting at the tax office. And
their scribes and the
Pharisees complained
against His disciples,
saying, "Why do You eat
and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?"

31 Jesus answered and said
to them, "Those who are
well have no need of a
physician, but those who
are sick. 32 I have not come
to call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The role of the tax collector in first-century Israel was quite different
from what we would think today. Ancient Rome operated on the
back of the taxes drained from conquered lands like Israel. This was
overseen by the local governor (or procurator), but it was actually
accomplished by local citizens like Levi (also known as Matthew),
who worked for Rome. These tax collectors, however, were not
viewed as single agents or bureaucrats. They were known to charge
higher taxes than were due and to pocket the excess. They were
despised as collaborators who had aligned themselves with the
hated occupying force. The taxes they collected were a continuing
symbol of the oppressions the Jews felt as a conquered people, and
the tax collectors were considered participants in that oppression.