“God, Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner”

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

The Holy Spirit will stop us cold if we say we are not like others. We are like others, that why the story is in the Bible.

Ask God to help each one of us listen to others with humility and restraint as they pour their hearts out in confession, profession, or pain.

We don’t get closer to God by passing judgment on others.

Our Daily Bread – May 14, 2015