February 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Worldly people live on the person-to-person level because that's the only level they know. But religious people also find it easier to live with people than to live with God.

The Pharisee was a religious man: "God, I thank you ..." He addressed God, but his thoughts were on the level of I-and-the-others: "I thank you that I am not like other people." Constantly he compared his religious behavior with the behavior of others. Many of us tend to do the same thing, in order to see how we are doing. As for the Pharisee, the comparison with others was in his favor. He was better in giving and in fasting. Compared with the tax collector, he was a pillar in church and society.

Jesus certainly did not say that the tax collector was "better." But the tax collector saw his life for the first time in terms of the staggering reality of God. And then he prayed. His prayer went to God. The prayer of the Pharisee remained on the level where it belonged. It would not get beyond the person-to-person level. The tax collector beat his breast and cried that he was a sinner.

The tax collector did not discover that he was a sinner because he found his behavior so wicked, comparatively speaking. Rather he confessed his sinfulness because he saw God. And once he—or anyone—has seen God, there is only one thing to say: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Living with God is a strange life—strange to a natural man or woman. It's a life with an extra dimension. You don't know what this life is like until you know God.

If you don't know God, you might still be a nice person, comparatively speaking. But you could not possibly know the truth about yourself.

REFLECTIONS

What does it mean to you to see your life "in terms of the staggering reality of God"?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.