Luke 18:10-14
- “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector.
11The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer:
I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, l don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery,
- I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
- “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
- I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”
What a paradox – God sees the Pharisee as a proud man but there he was telling God he was not a sinner.
Let us be humble because the one who saw himself as a sinner went home justified. David was wise to ask God to create in him a clean heart ( Psalm 51:10). Let us not to be too focused on what we do right but let us always ask for God’s mercy for what we are not aware of because, there is a sin somewhere as 1 John 1:8 says.
Chara-Joy 🌸 