Here I Am, Lord – – tqministries.com

The Straight Gate

“And He (Jesus) went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one to Him, Lord, are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:22,23a).

In our introductory verse, Jesus had just taught on the leaven which spoke of the corruption of the Word of God in Israel at that time. Leaven, or the corruption of the Word of God, is also is a serious problem in the church of our time. In many cases, the church of our time has strayed from the Word of God.

“And He said unto them, Strive to enter at the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall be unable”  (Luke 13 23b,24).

There is only one way to be saved. If we try to gain Salvation in any other way we have chosen a false way. Jesus is that “straight gate” that we must pass through. All other ways will result in eternal punishment away from the presence of God. Notice that Jesus says that “many” will try to enter by way of a false gospel, or path. The Lord has opened the way to our Salvation, narrow the way might be, to all those who will come by way of the Salvation He offers. Are there few saved? In comparison with all those who have lived from the time of the beginning, yes, the saved are few in number for most either do not seek the Lord, or try to come a false way.

What is the correct way? How do we find that “straight gate” Jesus spoke of? How can we know that we are saved and on our way to Heaven and an eternity in the presence of the Lord? The answer is Christ and Him crucified. We come in repentance for our sins and place our faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. That is the straight gate and the narrow way. It’s narrow because any other way to attain Salvation is impossible. Faith is the key. The object of our faith must be Christ and Him crucified. The Apostle John makes the way clear in his first epistle.

“These things have I written to you who believe on the Name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have Eternal Life, and that you may believe on the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

We have this lifetime alone to come the Lord’s way. Many, following false ways, will believe that they will be accepted among the beloved by what they have done, or by the lives they have lived. Others will resort to religion which is man trying to approach God by his works. Whatever the false way, it is confidence in self. The following verses show us the end for all those that go a false way.

“When once the master of the house is risen up, and has shut the door (speaking of death), and you begin to stand without (multitudes will think they are saved, but are not), and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us… But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth..” (Luke 13:25a,27,28a commentary mine).

All who reject the Cross in this lifetime will suffer eternal punishment. This is the end for those who could have known the Lord. Jesus came as our Savior at His first Advent. He will be be the Judge of all those that have rejected Him. Their cry of “Lord, Lord, open to us” could have been answered while they lived, but after death its too late. How sad!

Today is the Day of Salvation. All are welcome! The Word of God is our guide. If we leave His Word, we go of the rails, so to speak. The Lord gave us His Word that we might know, without a doubt, the path we are to take that will lead us to that “straight gate.” When we choose to go the Lord’s way, He will welcome us into His presence for eternity.

Christmas is the celebration of when God took on flesh and dwelt among us. He came to rescue all those who realize their great need for a Savior. He lived among us for thirty three and a half years teaching, healing, and preforming miracles, but His main purpose for coming was the Cross of Calvary. He paid the sin debt owed to God by mankind there. For all those who hear the clarion call to Salvation and come in repentance and faith, they are welcomed into the family of God. He has given “great and precious promises” for the redeemed  – the redeemed of the Lord. We are “partakers of the Divine nature” and have become sons and daughters of God. The Lord has done great things for all those who love Him.

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

An Encounter with God

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

The greatest thing that can happen in our lives is that we have an encounter with God. That perfectly describes the born again experience. There is nothing like it and we cannot have a true encounter with the Lord without it. The Lord calls out each day through the Holy Spirit drawing those that are hungry for the Lord to Him by way of repentance and faith in His provision of Salvation – Christ and Him crucified.

The Lord, Himself, burst on the scene of history living a perfect life and showing us the way by His sacrificial death at Calvary. We have a fallen nature and are unable to save ourselves. His coming into this world was an incredible display of His Mercy and Grace for all to see. The world is without excuse. God, Himself, came in the flesh to save us from ourselves. Think about that- God put on flesh and died on the Cross that we might be saved and have a future with Him.

He has given us a witness within each of us of His existence. Our conscience bears witness to the Lord. Creation itself is a witness to the God Who created all things. And finally, He has given us His Word as a road map that leads straight to the Cross. Again, we are without excuse. He suffered a horrible death for us! The amazing love of God – how wonderful!

We are called to believe, that’s it. Believe in His provision of Salvation that He has  provided at great cost to Himself. He freely gives to those who will admit their need and come to Him. He blesses all those who love Him. How can we not love a God that has done so much for us. The Holy Spirit is here today drawing whosover will harken to His clarion call. As we place our faith in Christ and Him crucified, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell, to teach us, to help us, and to lead us continually to the Cross from which all blessings flow.

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:28).

If you have not come to the Lord for forgiveness of your sins and “Newness of Life,” I urge you to come home to Him today. The life of God dwells in all those who have been born spiritually. Again, all this is available to whosoever will come and place their faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary. He paid the price in full for our sins at the Cross and has opened the way for those that will come to Him that we might spend eternity in His presence as sons and daughters of God and joint-heirs with Christ. We have a great and merciful God Who loves us and has proven His love for us at the Cross.

He calls out to all today, Can you hear Him? He has done everything to show us the way. Acknowledge Him today and come into the blessings of the Lord. Jesus is the Way, Jesus is the Truth, and Jesus is the Life. All those that would come to God must come through Him. He calls out today. Those who respond to His call come into all the blessings of the Lord.

“Glory in His holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:10,11)

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

The Lord’s Lovingkindness & Faithfulness

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Your Name, O Most High. To show forth Your Lovingkindness in the morning, and Your Faithfulness every night”  (Psalm 92:1,2).

The Lord watches over us in our going out and our coming in every day. As we start our day each morning, the recognition of His love for us reminds us of His watchful care over us every day. We go out in the strength of the Lord with thankfulness in our heart and praise on our lips. Our great God, the Most High, loves us and goes before us every day. Our faith in His great provision at Calvary brings us into an eternal personal relationship with the One true God, creater of Heaven and Earth. He cares about us and watches over us.

As each day comes to an end, we look back on His faithfulness in the day’s events, thanking Him and praising Him for His watchful care during that day. Every night as we reflect on our relationship with the Most High, it produces thankfulness and results in praise to the God of our life. He is OUR God. He cares for us and directs our steps as we come by faith in His provision of Salvation and walk out our life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Doing this, we can be assured that He will lead us and guide us each day along this path of life.

We praise the Lord and thank Him every day because He cares for us and has given us great and precious promises. His Word tells us that we love Him because He first loved us. Our introductory verse from Psalm 92 is showing us that as we thank and praise the Lord we come to see His lovingkindness and care over our lives and seek Him each day for direction. Once the day ends we look back on our day and see how faithful our great God has been and how He has watched over us in all the days events. Even when days are not what we hoped for and disappointment comes, we know that our Father has all that concerns us in hand and will bring us through.

As we begin each day, we can be assured of the Lord’s lovingkindness and know that the Lord watches over those He loves. Looking back at days end we see that He has proven His faithfulness to us once again.  In doing this each day we will see that His lovingkindness is a sustaining presence in our lives as we abide in Him. This results in thanksgiving to our Lord for all He has done for us assured of the knowledge that He will do the same tomorrow and every day. This is the blessed place of those who have placed their trust in Him. We are loved, and as Psalm 34 tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.”

We are so thankful to the God of our Salvation. Our Father sent His Beloved Son to die on a cruel Cross that we might have Life, His Life in us. Our faith in Calvary opened the door to all the blessings of God. How great is the knowledge that the Holy Spirit lives within us, guides us, and is conforming us into the “image of Christ!” Thanksgiving should be on our lips and in our hearts every day. We have much to be thankful for. Each morning His Lovingkindness watches over us as we begin our day. Each evening we can look back on His faithfulness that brought us through another day. It truly is “A good thing to give thanks to the Lord.”

“Enter into His Gates with thanksgiving, and into His Courts with Praise: be thankful unto Him, bless His Name” (Psalm 100:4).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

From Such Run Away

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times will come. For many shall be lovers of their own selves… Having a form of Godliness, BUT denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3,1,2a,5 emphasis mine).

Our faith in the Cross enables the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and lead us and change us. Christ and Him crucified is the answer for everyone for Salvation and Sanctification. We cannot, in ourselves, live a life of “Godliness” in our own power, or by some combination of faith and works, It’s impossible! As the hymn tells us: “My hope is in nothing less than Jesus’ Blood and Righteousness.”

We are in the last days now and the signs of His soon return are all around us. In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to Timothy, Paul is warning the ends time church of the deception that will be a sign of the coming Rapture of the church. The form of Godliness he warns about is brought into the church by false teachers and false brethren that have their adherents following a false way that denies the power of the true Gospel. Paul calls them evil men and seducers.

“BUT evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 emphasis mine).

We must protect ourselves and guard against any false doctrine, or way, that will lead us away from the true Way the Lord has shown us in His Gospel. Seducers that have come into the church are here today and have been present in leadership in the church down throughout all of church history. Jude’s Epistle lays out the problems the church was experiencing with false teachers in the early church shortly after its inception.

Satan knows that his time is short and is doing all he can in this world and in the church to deceive the world and lead the church into a religion that is void of the power of God. False ways always point to self-rules to follow and self effort. We are either walking in the Spirit by our faith being placed in Christ and Him crucified, or we are walking in a form of Godliness void of power. It’s that simple. Again, we are in the last days, and the Bible tells us clearly what those days will be like. Deception runs rampant in our world and in the Lord’s church. Jesus warns us against being deceived while teaching on the signs of His Second Coming just prior to this crucifixion.

So what must the church do to ensure it is not being deceived. We must anchor our faith in Christ and Him crucified. This will enable us to identify false doctrine and false ways and to not buy into any of Satan’s deceptive ways.

The Holy Spirit works exclusively through faith in Christ and Him crucified. We cannot, in ourselves, live a victorious Christian life. Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof is speaking about not realizing that it is the power of the Holy Spirit alone that will both keep us and protect us from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. We were bought with a price and we are His workmanship. In these last days we are facing difficult times, the Lord has warned about these and has shown us the way the He has provided that we not be deceived and that we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is all by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary. Jude closes his Epistle with the following encouragement:

“Now unto Him Who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior be Glory, and Majesy, Dominion and Power, both now and forever. Amen.

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

He Will Lead Us Into His Very Presence

Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your Truth, and teach me: for you are the God of my Salvation; on You do I wait all day long”  (Psalm 25:4,5).

The Lord shows us His way by bringing us to Calvary. Calvary is where God’s love reached down and met our need. We see God’s way when we are born spiritually by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus and His sacrificial death on the Cross. The Lord opens this up to us when we come just as we are in repentance and faith. Our journey begins and ends at Calvary. This is God’s way – His only way.

Once we come by faith to Calvary, the Lord will teach us His ways and His paths through His Word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Bible will guide us through life for it contains “all things for life and godliness.” The Holy Spirit is our Helper and will lead us along the path the Lord wants us to walk. We are to read His Word and “walk in the Spirit,” which means we place our faith daily in Christ and Him crucified and the Holy Spirit teaches us and leads us into a victorious walk of faith.

We are lead by God’s truth as we believe His Word and are seek to be guided in all the decisions in our life by what the Word of God says. Jesus said that one of the signs of His soon coming is that people will be living by what seems right in their own eyes. Today we can see that this is certainly the case in our society. People cannot judge what is right if they do not listen to what the Lord’s Word tells us is right. They are wandering through life with no anchor of truth to lean on. God gave us His Word to be our guide in all we do.

The Father sent His Son that we might have the Salvation that He offers to us through His Mercy and Grace. The Father’s love sent His Son to die on the Cross. The Holy Spirit came as the Promise of the Father as our Comforter and Helper on the Day of Pentecost. So, the triune God  made a way that we might be saved, and paid for our Salvation at Calvary. The Lord guides us in His way, along the path of His will, through the truth of His Word into His very Presence. How great is our God!

Everything is summed up in Jesus. He Is the Way, He is the Truth, and He is the Life. He is the gate we must pass through to be accepted in the beloved and live in the “Newness of Life” thet He providess for us. All the blessings of God come to us through Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. He is the God of our Salvation and we must come His way on the path that He has laid out by letting Him teach us His Word which is the only Truth there is in this world. Many things are true, but “Grace and Truth comes by Jesus Christ.” Jesus made the way clearly in the following verse:

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

But Woe Unto You Who…

“And He (Jesus) lifted up His eyes on the Disciples, and said, Blessed be the poor: for yours be the Kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).

Jesus is talking about those poor in spirit in our introductory verse. This is the realization all must come to in their lives. We must humble ourselves before the Lord admitting that we are sinners and unable to save ourselves. It is the first step in our coming to the Salvation the Lord has graciously provided for us. Once we acknowledge this, the Kingdom of God is opened to us. We are to repent of our sins, the way we have lived our lives without God, and place our faith in His provision of Salvation- Christ and Him Crucified.

Blessed are you who hunger now: for you shall be filled” (Luke 6:21a).

Once born again we have an imputed Righteousness from the Lord. We are spiritually alive and we hunger for all the Lord has for us. We seek to walk in the “Newness of Life” afforded to us by what Christ accomplished at Calvary. Our hunger will be rewarded. The Holy Spirit is our Helper, and as we seek to walk in the Lord’s ways, our faith being placed in Christ and Him crucified, the Holy Spirit will draw us into a closer and closer walk with the Lord.

“Blessed are you who weep now: for you shall laugh” (Verse 21b).

We are weak in are own strength and must seek the Lord in all things. We are to bring everything to the Lord that troubles us as we walk out our lives, both small and great. The Bible tells us that when we are weak, weeping over our own inability, we come to the place of victory by realizing our weaknesses will drive us to the Lord. This is the way, the only way, to victory. Our joy will be in the Lord as He shows us our utter dependence on Him. We learn to cling to Him finding this Newness of life that He has provided us. It is a life of exceeding joy in the Lord.

These blessings are the result of realizing that we are hopelessly lost in our fallen nature, humbling ourselves before the Lord, repenting of our sins, and placing our faith in Christ and Him crucified. If we chose not to go the Lord’s way, the following will be the result:

“But woe unto you who are rich for you have received your consolation” (Luke 6:24).

Those that are spoken of here, are those who have an abundance of worldly goods and see no need for God. They are confident in their own abilities to live out this life and are constantly seeking to increase their wordly treasure at the great lose of their very souls. They have rejected the Spirit of God. Their reward is what they have acquired and valued in this life. They have all they need and do not see their need for the things of God.

“Woe unto you who are full, for you shall hunger” (verse 25a).

Those that go the way of destruction consider themselves as having everything, when in realty they will never be satisfied with what they have acquired in this life. We cannot live a life of fulfillment without the Lord and this will cause them to continue to seek fulfillment in other things never being satisfied with that which they acquire. A very sad life.

“Woe unto you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” (verse 25b).

Those that lived their lives in this manner are on very dangerous ground. They do not see their need for a relationship with the Lord. They spend their lives happily enjoying wordly pleasures. They will be judged by the lives they have lived without the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment and it will not end well for them. While they seem to have no cares today, they shall mourn and weep. We need to pray for all those traveling this path.

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (verse 26).

False ways abound in the church today. It will cost us to follow Christ. There will be false teachers in the church that teach those that come to them a false way. The Lord points out that if they don’t repent of their false ways, it will be “woe” to these false teachers and all those that follow their false Gospel. They point those that follow them to a false way of Salvation for gain and will be judged accordingly. The Apostle Peter and Jude wrote about these false teachers in their Epistles.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake” (verse 22).

Rejoice you in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold,  your reward is great in Heaven: for in like manner did their fathers unto the Prophets”  (verse 23).

When we come to the Lord and are born again, we have great joy and go about to tell others about this wonderful Salvation that we have found. We are surprised and saddened that many of those we share the Gospel with do not receive it. We experience their rejection and even their hatred toward us at times which can even come from our family members.  The Lord is telling us that there will be persecution awaiting us when we walk out this life of faith in Christ and His great sacrifice at Calvary. The Lord suffered much in His Life here and we will suffer for our identifying ourselves with Him in His suffering for us on the Cross. It is pride that keeps people from coming the Lord’s way. This is the offense of the Cross.

Most of the world down through the ages has rejected the Salvation the Lord freely gives. But there has always been a remnant, small as it might be, that has stood with Lord against the tide of evil that goes its own way to its own destruction. The Lord is telling us here that our reward is “great in Heaven.” We are blessed in knowing the Lord and walking in His way. Come what may today, we look forward to the “Day” when we will be in the presence of the One Who loves us and has shown us the way into His very Presence. As we walk through our lives we can know that the Lord is empowering us by His Holy Spirit to walk in victory – victory over the world, the flesh abd the Devil. We are victorious in Him and we are called to Glory and Virtue.

“According to His Divine Power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who has called us to Glory and Virtue” (2 Peter 1:3)

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Creators, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

When Evil Seems to Abound

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed” (Psalm 37:3).

When we look around us today we see much evil prospering in our world and many in our world are opposed to our God and all those who call on His Name. It can be discouraging at times but the Lord has shown us the way through the darkness of our current world. We are to place our  trust in Him and His Word and live our lives as a witness to His Goodness and Mercy. By placing our faith in our Savior the Holy Spirit will lead us through to victory.

“Delight yourself also in the Lord: and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (verse 4).

When we delight ourselves in the Lord and His ways our desires will line up with His Word and His will for us. Following the Lord results in a life of “joy unspeakable and full of Glory.” Our world is headed in the wrong direction. The Bible makes it clear that evil will abound as we approach the Glorious Day of His soon return. Living in the joy of the Lord will strengthen us against this tide of evil that we experience today, and is a powerful witness to those do in need of the Salvation the Lord graciously provides to whosoever will come His way.

“Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (verse 5).

The Lord is telling us that if we trust Him and commit our way to Him He will bring us through all we see going on around us in this world. These are troubled times and we need an anchor for our soul. That anchor is the Cross. We are to place our faith in Christ and Him crucified and the Holy Spirit will guide us through to victory.

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him… (verse 7a)

We rest in the Lord by faith – faith in His finished work at the Cross. This is our answer in navigating the evil we see all around us. We are to trust Him and walk in His Ways doing good to those we come across in this life. We are to delight in our great God and come to Him with thanksgiving for all He has done for us and the care He shows us each and every day. As we commit to follow Him each day, we become strong- “Strong in the Lord, and the power of His Might.” The Lord knows all our days, watches over us as we walk through each one, and has promised to bring us through to our wonderful inheritance and into in His presence forever.

“The Lord knows the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever” (verse 18).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

That You Should Not Perish

“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (John 3:35).

Our introductory verse is, of course. speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ and is referencing the Plan of God for Salvation. The Father sent the Son to redeem mankind. We are lost and are prisoners of our sin nature. We cannot lift ourselves out of this fallen state. The Lord of Glory became man to save us from ourselves. He paid the sin debt owed to God which opened the way for fellowship with the Lord. By coming to the Lord in repentance and faith we are born spiritually. In other words, a path is opened, in that, “Newness of Life” through our born again experience is the result.

“He who believes on the Son has Everlasting Life…” ( John 2:36a).

By our faith in the Lord Jesus and His sacrificial death at Calvary, we have Everlasting Life. This is our way to God – the only way. There is no other way to come to the Lord. We must be born spiritually. Once we come to Him and are born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us forever. He will guide us and help us throughout our lives.

“And he who believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides in Him” ( John 3:26b,c).

We cannot have our sins forgiven and know God accept by coming His way. Should we choose not to come His way we will experience the wrath of God. There is no other way to be saved. God cannot allow us to come into His presence and abide with Him if we do not have His Spirit living within us. We will die in our sins and suffer a eternity away from the presence of God if we do not come to Him in repentance and faith. Calvary stands as a beacon of hope for those who realize their lost state, and a dire warning of the judgment to come for those that refuse the Mercy and Grace of God.

Are you saved from wrath today? If you realize your need and come to the Lord, you have been saved from wrath. If you have not yet come to the Lord, you have been shown the way of Salvation today. If you choose to not come the Lord’s way, or decide to delay your response to this question, you have, in effect, already answered and will be one heartbeat away from an eternity separated from the love God has shown us and the Salvation He has provided. By not coming to the God Who loves you and died on cruel Cross as proof of that love, you are in rebellion against God. He calls out today in Mercy and Grace. For those that do not come His way, either death or His soon return will result in a eternity in the Lake of Fire. The Lord calls out to all those in the world today that they not perish. Here Him today and live!

” For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life ” (John 3:16).

The A,B,C’s of Salvation

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The Sinner’s Prayer

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Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Creators, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

The Pharisee and the Publican

“And He (Jesus) spoke this Parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:” (Luke 18:9)

The Lord is teaching here on self-righteousness. Self-righteousness can only lead to a works based righteousness and/or a relative righteousness as we will see in this Parable. The Lord is looking for those that will come to Him, knowing that, in ourselves dwells no good thing and that we must approach Him in repentance for our sinful lives and in faith for His provision of Salvation.

“Two men went up into the Temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican” (Luke 18:10).

Two men went up to pray but the Lord would only hear one of these men. The Pharisee was a fundamentalist who professed faith in the Bible and its teachings. The Publican was a tax collector and hated by the Israel of that day. Publicans were considered traitors, and for that reason, they considered Salvation an impossibility for them.

“The Pharisee stood thus and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11,12).

The Pharisee compared himself with others including the Publican. This is relative righteousness. He was placing himself in a superior position to others. He also believed in a works righteousness holding up his fasting and tithing as things that would gain him favor and acceptance with God. In his prayer, he asked for nothing, and received nothing.

“And the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

The Publicans prayer was heard, and answered, by the Lord because he approached the Lord appealing to the Lord’s Mercy and not on any worth within himself. Today, we can know that all those who approach the Lord in this way will always find that the Lord is ready to forgive and bless them with spiritual birth. The Publican here was looking to the sacrificial system in place at the time. Today, we look to the One who came and sacrificed His life on the Cross for the sins of mankind.

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for who exalts himself shall be abased; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

Justification is a work of God by which we are made right with the Lord. It is a work of Grace received by faith in Christ and Him crucified. The prayers of the Pharisee were not received by the Lord because he approached the Lord in self-righteousness with a works mentality. Because he depended on his self- righteousness, he was not justified, but lost. He asked for nothing and received nothing from the Lord.

We are to humble ourselves before the Lord. We are saved by Grace as we come to the Lord in repentance and faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. If we ask for mercy, the result will be that we will receive God’s mercy in our lives. Regarding our Sanctification, it also comes strictly by faith. Works has no place. Sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. We are called to do good works, but they will not gain us anything with the Lord regarding our walk with Him. We must approach the Lord just as the Publican in this Parable did. If we ask for God’s goodness and mercy in our lives, we will receive what we asked for from the Lord. Everything we receive from the Lord in this life comes by faith in His Mercy and Grace.  

“For by Grace (the Goodness of God) are you saved through faith (in Christ and Him crucified); and that not of yourselves (it’s all of, and through, the Lord): it is the gift of God (through Calvary): not of works (Salvation cannot be earned by works), lest any man should boast (in our own abilities)”  (Ephesians 2:8,9 commentary mine).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

Our Time of Need

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy, and find Grace to help in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

In our introductory verse, we are told to come boldly to the throne of Grace. I don’t know about you, but when I first became a Christian and read this verse, particularly that we are to come boldly; I was taken aback. I was a sinner who heard the Gosoel and realized my lost state. I repented of my sins, the life I had lived, and looked to the Lord’s Mercy and Grace through the atoning work of Christ at the Cross. Coming boldly sounded to forward of me considering my previous lost state. However, I came to realize that I was looking at myself and not at what the Lord had actually done for us in His provision of Salvation.

When we come to the Lord we are washed and made clean by the Blood of Jesus. We are sanctified and set apart unto the Lord. And we are declared not guilty by being “justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Due to our fallen nature, even after we come to the Lord, it is difficult to not look at our own failings as we attempt to walk out our Christian lives. As we walk with the Lord, we realize that we will never walk before the Lord in sinless perfection. It’s a journey of faith and it starts with us realizing that the only way we can come “boldly” is by what Jesus accomplished for us at the Cross. We have an imputed Righteousness provided for us as we come by faith in Christ and His atoning work at the Cross.

This puts this verse in a totally different light. We come boldly because of what He did for us. The door to the throne is open only through His Mercy and Grace in our lives. The Lord wants a relationship with us. We have a continued and growing relationship with the Lord by reading the Bible and through our time of prayer with Him. The Lord, in this verse, is encouraging us through His mercy and Grace in our lives to not let our own failings impede us, but to bring all our need to Him as we seek Him each day.

I believe the Holy Spirit is showing us that the door us open wide and we need not hold back in seeking the Lord. We are not to look at ourselves, but to Him. It’s His designed roadway to fellowship and help. A roadway lined with His Mercy and Grace. We are not to draw back due to our failures, but we are encouraged to come boldly into His presence. 

As I walk with the Lord on this journey of faith; I realize more and more how dependent I am on the Lord. We are to bring everything to the Lord that we are faced with in this life. I believe that the Lord is encouraging us to do just that in this verse. We are to come with confidence believing that the Lord hears us and will answer. We serve a wonderful God Who loves us and seeks to both forgive us of our failings, and help us through our difficulties. Our closing verse encourages us to come boldly and with confidence to the Lord, all due to what Christ accomplished at Calvary.

“In Whom (Christ) we have boldness (all due to the Cross) and access (to the throne of God) with confidence by the faith of Him (again, points to Calvary)” (Ephesians 3:12 commentary mine).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Creators, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025