Luke 18:9-14  NASB “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Have you ever reminded a child to say thank you? The “thank you” that you get from a reminder doesn’t sound sincere, it is half-hearted at best.

That reminded me of the Pharisee in this parable. He is offering a “thank you” to God, but he isn’t truly thankful to God. He is paying lip service to God, but he is really thanking himself for being so great! In contrast, the tax collector in the parable doesn’t know all the right words to say, but he does understand where he stands in relation to God.

Humility and gratitude go hand in hand. Once we realize where we stand in relation to a merciful God, no one will have to remind us to say “Thank you!”

-Kevi

 

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