For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18:14)
Expanded Passage: Luke 18: 9–14, 18–30
When I was five, I received a pale pink Huffy bike for Christmas. I quickly learned to ride on training wheels, but was eager to ride without them. One evening my father carefully removed the extra wheels and placed my bike into the back of his red pickup. My whole family loaded up, and we drove to a local high school that had a dirt track. My dad unloaded the bike, and then with a huge smile asked, “Do you trust me?” I did. I really did, but I was also scared. My mother, standing nearby, gave me a smile of reassurance. I very clearly remember climbing onto my bike with my father promising he would not let go. He held the seat of my bike and ran beside me around the track until I was confident, and he was able to let go.
In the examples of the Pharisee and the rich young ruler, Jesus was asking, “Do you trust me?” Both the Pharisee and the rich young ruler had yet to recognize their need. There will never be a time—until Jesus returns—that he won’t continue to require you to have faith, and to demonstrate your trust in him. Philippians 2:12 tells us we will “continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” but we can do this confidently with our Father running beside us.
Learn to trust your heavenly Father.
Holly Atkinson is a pastor’s wife, mother of two girls, and a graduate of OKWU and Wesley Seminary. She currently serves as an assistant principal at a private school in Florida.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
