Come with an Honest Prayer
My dear son,
You do not have to prove yourself better than anyone else before your Father. Bring your heart truthfully. Your prayer does not rise higher when you put another person down.
Like the tax collector who asked for mercy, speak honestly about what needs forgiveness. Give thanks for the good and seek help where you fall short. I treasure the humility that looks for grace.
As this new day begins, do not spend all your attention evaluating someone else's faith. Examine your own life and walk with respect for others. Enjoy the freedom of living in dependence on your Father's mercy today.
With all my love,
Your Father
Luke 18:9–14
WEB9He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others:
10“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men: extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’
13But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
A short reflection
Jesus teaches that the tax collector who sought mercy went home justified, while the Pharisee who exalted himself did not.
World English Bible (WEB) · Public DomainRead the chapter