PARABLE OF HUMILITY VERSUS PRIDE
My Dear Precious Child,
    As was His habit, Jesus Christ told a parable about a servant who plows a field or minds sheep who returns from the fields.  Jesus said that the master of the servant would not say to the servant to come and have his meal immediately.  Instead, the master would say to get his meal laid, to make himself clean, and wait on the master while the master ate and drank, that he could eat and drink afterward.  He explained it further by saying that the master would not be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told to do.  Jesus told His disciples that it was also the same with them, that after they had done all that they had been told to do, that they should say that what they had done was their duty, nothing more. referring to His advice and commands and admonitions. (Luke 17:7-10)
   That parable was given by Jesus after many others were given which revealed the parables of the kingdom of God in which instructions were given to the disciples relating to how to stay permanently established in My kingdom of God  while they lived in the earth.  They were specific to many thoughts, attitudes, words spoken and actions taken which reflect that My children of promise are still seeking to display My righetousness in the earth.  In this parable Jesus was contrasting pride, which is the character of the devil. and humility, which is My character as displayed in Jesus while He was in the earth. 
   It had been apparent that the religious and political leaders who were harassing, persecuting, abusing and trying to intimidate Jesus Christ were prideful in their own faith in Mosaic Law as a means to salvation.  They were still waiting for their Messiah while they were opposing the real Messiah to His very face.  If they had had a humble heart they would have yielded to the teachings of Jesus and made it possible for themselves to enter into My kingdom of God and escape the works of the devil in the earth.  Instead, the religious and political leaders and their followers were themselves filled with pride in their rejection of My Son Jesus Christ. They were appalled that the followers of Jesus Christ were people of low esteem in the world, the needy, the diseased, the adulterers, the prostitutes and the tax collectors, which was in truth their opinion of Jesus Christ, a friend of John the Baptist whom they rejected because of his uncivilized lifestyle.
   A few minutes later Jesus told another parable relating to this very truth, a parable of the Pharisee and the publican.  He spoke this parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous but despised everyone else.  Jesus told His listeners about two men who went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood in the temple and prayed to himself thanking Me for not being grasping, unjust and adulterous like the rest of mankind, and he particularly thanked Me that he was not like the tax collector.  He reminded me that he fasted twice a week and paid tithes on all that He got.  The tax collector stood some distance away, not even daring to raise his eyes to heaven.  He beat His breast and asked Me to be merciful to him, a sinner.  Jesus told His listeners that the tax collector went home with his heart being right with Me, but the Pharisee did not. 
   Jesus closed that parable with the truth in it which was that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the person who humbles himself to others will be exalted by Me. (Luke 18:9-14)   In the parable of staying humble, the truth was that a servant must maintain a humble attitude, refusing to insist on being equal in righteousness to the master or more righteous than other people.   When he stays humble, he will be exalted by Me, but if he insists on being prideful, considering himself better than everyone else, he will be humbled by circumstances which the devil brings into his life because his pride binds him to the devil's will which is to defeat all of humanity which I created.
   In these parables, My children must be careful to discern the devil's tricks.  The devil loves to make the members of one religious denomination feel that they have all of My truth, feeling that all other church members only need to be like them.  That is building their house on sand because they will eventually fall.  The same truth applies to political parties, as revealed in the list of practices of the flesh as partisan or party factions. (Galatians 5:20 Amplified Version) When members of one party extol their own virtues as being more righteous, believing that they are right and the other parties are wrong, they are playing in the devil's kingdom and they will fall because of their pride and the pride of their political party.  They will find that they will fall eventually from their own ivory tower, regardless of to which party they belong.  It was the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes who were members of the political parties at the time of Jesus Christ's ministry in the world.  Their minds were not only blinded relating to whom Jesus Christ was, but their prideful demonic narrowness of mind convinced them that they were constantly right in all matters relating to religion and politics. (Proverbs 16:18)
    Humility is an outgrowth of the presence of My life being inside of you because you know your battles are never with other humans but is always with the devil and his demons. (Ephesians 6:12)  My Love being evident in the lives of My children is the only thing that causes My children to win in their life in the earth.  Strict religious denominations and partisan politics separate and divide, bringing the devil's will into the lives of their followers. (Psalm 10:2; Proverbs 11:2)
    Pride goes before a fall.  A humble attitude in you toward Me and toward other people allows Me to exalt you. (I John 2:16) When you allow Me to exalt you, My blessings and rewards flow into your life like a flood from heaven.
    Your Father of Grace and Humility