Do You Believe God Is in Debt to You?

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I may not be perfect, but at least I am better than a lot of people. I am basically a good person. Shouldn’t God reward my obedience?” We look to others’ faults to sometimes build a case for ourselves. Beginning Sunday October 24, a tax collector’s prayer will help us find the true meaning of righteousness.


Scripture: Luke 18:9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”


Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Who Is the Greatest? delivered on Christian Crusaders July 29, 2001 by Rev. Larsen:

It is difficult for us to humbly bow and confess our need for God’s help. There is a common attitude that says verbally or in behavior, “I don’t need Christ. I can control my own behavior. I can live a good enough life that, at the end, God will say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter your heavenly home.’ I have a good mind and an adequate education to work out my own salvation. I don’t need a Savior. I am my own savior. I am a strong person and will face difficulties as they come, without any crutches offered by religion.” Replying to this attitude, Jesus speaks, “Unless you change (be converted) and become as a child, you can’t enter the kingdom of Heaven.”


On ChristianCrusaders.org
Would you like to know more about our speakers – Rev. Homer Larsen, who has been Christian Crusaders’ speaker since 1961, and our associate speaker, Rev. Steve Kramer? On our Web site, www.christiancrusaders.org, you will find information in the navigational bar under “About”. You can also find news from the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter, the Crusader. Just click “Newsletter” and “Crusader Bulletin” in the navigational bar. The theme of our next issue is Relationships. Rev. Larsen writes the lead article for the newsletter.


On the Light Side
An elderly gentleman was strolling through the park one beautiful day when he came upon a child sitting on a bench busily saying his ABCs. The old man waited until the child was through, then said, “I see you’re practicing your alphabet.”

“No,” replied the child. “I was praying. I don’t know how to pray very well, so I just give God the letters, and he puts them into the right words!”