Luke 18:14

"I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus describes a man who spends some time thanking God for not being a terrible person. Another guy, feeling unworthy to even look up to heaven, recognized his sin, and hated it. I wouldn't say it's wrong to thank God for not being terrible. I'm thankful that I'm not addicted to drugs, or caught up in prostitution, or broke from a gambling obsession. That's not wrong, but the element of recognizing the sin that is present in me is always vital. 

What started as false confidence to convince myself that I like who I am has slowly developed into actual arrogance. I have honed in on the skills that I excel at, and I only do things in my wheelhouse. In school, we're forced to do a wide range of things, displaying our faults. I have been fortunate enough to find a job that utilizes my strengths, and the opportunities to feel embarrassingly inadequate are few and far between. Because of this, I struggle with thinking far too highly of myself. It seems like the part of me that recognizes my weaknesses has grown silent. This has led to a spirit that does not easily recognize sin in myself. I can't remember the last time I felt truly inadequate and repentant before a holy God. It's not wrong to be confident in Christ's righteousness given freely to me, but I can't forget how far from being like Christ I truly am. I am praying that God breaks me of my arrogance, and reveals to me the sin areas I need to attack. The process of sanctification is vital, and it hinges on recognizing sin.

The man in this story who recognized his sin left justified. I hope to always recognize my sin, and humbly approach God, overcome by thankfulness for His willingness to not only listen, but to forgive. 

Exodus 14:3-4

"'Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.' So the Israelites did this."

After several cycles of pleading by Moses, a plague from God, relenting by Pharaoh, and then having his heart hardened by God, Pharaoh finally released the Israelites, and the people were instructed by God to take a path away from Egypt that made little sense. God was pretty clear in articulating that His purpose for this was to show His glory in an incredible way, so Moses and the Israelites followed His lead. Almost immediately the people start whining about how dying in Egypt would have been better than dying in the wilderness. Many jokes have been made about the Israelites, and I see no need to retread old ground here, but these people are seriously the worst. Regardless, God ends up showing His glory by parting the Red Sea, and the people of Egypt finally understood the greatness of God.

In the moment, the command God gave made little sense, but Moses chose to lead the people faithfully into a corner so that Pharaoh would get cocky, pursue them, and then be completely humbled when his entire army is engulfed in the Red Sea after the Israelites simply walked through it.

The application points of this verse are extensive, but most notably to me is how God told them to do something that made little sense so that He would be glorified. I really hate doing things that don't make sense. I need a reason for everything, and I ask a lot of questions to try and get an understanding of why someone wants me to do something a certain way. At the heart of that is the belief that I probably have a better idea, and unless convinced otherwise, I'd rather go my own way. It's obvious that God does not work in this way, and unquestioning obedience is key in the life of someone seeking to follow Christ. It grates every fiber of who I am to simply follow a plan that doesn't make sense. Others who are like me might simply claim "well that's how God made me; I need to know that what I'm being told to do is the right thing." I would argue that this is not the way God made me; my sin nature made me this way. Seeking to be more like Christ requires me to follow without question, and enjoying the view as I take in the astounding things that God does around me when I simply shut up and obey.