Luther Quote

I came across this quote while reading today and I thought I'd share (and reflect a bit):

"I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope: self."  - Martin Luther

Luther wrote this at a time when the Roman Catholic Church was in disrepair, so for him to call his own self the greatest pope emphasizes how untrustworthy our own selves are.  Luther was insistent throughout his life that we are to trust not in our selves, but in the Word of God.  (That song "Listen to Your Heart" comes to mind.  The Christian response to that seemingly innocent and worldly-wise saying: No.)  In other words, we are to listen to and trust in Jesus Christ, both His commandments and His promises.  There is perhaps no greater record of Jesus' commandments and promises than that found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

Admittedly, I hear Jesus' commandments frequently as I go through daily life.  More problematically, I often hear those commandments as burdens.  It's because I disbelieve Jesus' promises, which are inseparable from His commandments.  And so I plug my ears to His call and I thereby pass on His blessing.  Luther's quote is quite true for me: I have within me a powerful, untrustworthy ruler.  His name is Self.