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Proud People vs. Broken People
This past weekend, we studied together the story of a Pharisee named Simon and the “sinful woman” who came to his house to worship and weep at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus used the Parable of Two Debtors to illustrate an important reality… those who have been forgiven much, love much, but those who have been forgiven little, love little. Simon was proud. He thought he owed little and thus he loved little. The woman was broken. She knew the desperate need of her heart. She accepted the amazing gift of God’s forgiveness and thus she loved with abandon. The chart below is a tool that can help each of us to honestly assess whether we are proud or broken. Perhaps prayerfully meditating on the contrasts this week, will help us to see the true reality of our need and to run with fresh abandon into the presence of God to celebrate His amazing love and overwhelming grace.
| Proud People... | Broken People... |
|---|---|
| Focus on the failures of others | Are overwhelmed with their own spiritual need |
| Are self-righteous; have a critical, fault-finding spirit; look at own life/faults with a telescope but others with a microscope | Are compassionate; have a forgiving spirit; look for the best in others |
| Are independent; have a self-sufficient spirit | Have dependent spirit; recognize others' needs |
| Maintain control; must have their way | Surrender control |
| Have to prove they are right | Are willing to yield the right to be right |
| Have a demanding spirit | Have a giving spirit |
| Desire to be served | Are motivated to serve others |
| Are driven to be recognized and appreciated | Have a sense of unworthiness; are thrilled to be used at all; are eager for others to get the credit |
| Are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked | Rejoice when others are lifted up |
| Think of what they can do for God | Know that they have nothing to offer God |
| Feel confident in how much they know | Are humbled by how much they have to learn |
| Keep people at arms-length | Risk getting close to others; are willing to take the risks of loving intimately |
| Are quick to blame others | Accept personal responsibility; can see where they went wrong |
| Are defensive when criticized | Receive criticism with a humble, open heart |
| Are concerned with being respectable | Are concerned with being real |
| Are concerned about what others think | Know all that matters is what God thinks |
| Work to maintain image and protect reputation | Die to own reputation |
| Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others | Are willing to be transparent with others |
| Want to be sure no one finds out about their sin | Are willing to be exposed; know once broken, there's nothing to lose |
| Have a hard time saying,“I was wrong, will you forgive me?” | Are quick to admit fault and to seek forgiveness |
| Deal in generalities when confessing sin | Deal in specifics |
Where Did They Come From?
City Impact
