Have Mercy On Me

 Luke 18: 9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ 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. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “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.’

¹⁴ “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.”

Looking at the two men at prayer, which one would I choose to be?  The answer seems obvious, but I can be so blinded by my  "goodness", that I fail to catch myself  praying as the Pharisee. Often enough, observations and even outright criticism from others helps me to see myself as I really am,  not a pretty sight. We might all have this self-righteous bent, so to keep us on track, might we make the prayer of the Publican part of our daily prayer, not just once a day, but several times, as  a constant reminder of our need for mercy?  "O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Bro. Rene