Today I really struggled with what other people thought about me. I was worried about what they said that I have done, or what I do. Then as I am listening to The Bible I hear the words that push me away from thinking about myself. Like the Pharisee in the parable of Luke 18:9-14 I got focused on myself and not on the one above. So tonight I sit here and say, "God, I am a sinner. Have mercy on me, and give me the strength to make it through more days like these, and allow me to reflect you in my actions and words.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18:9)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."
