Do Not Exalt Yourself

Do not exalt yourself. Do you trust the rightness of your actions and disapprove of those who act in a wrong way? Be careful ... do not make the mistake to exalt yourself. Rather, be humble and seek God's forgiveness, because we are all imperfect children of God, who is merciful to their children who are humble. Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: Two men went to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 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 those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 18:9-14