Gospel Reflections #759: It is painful to admit our we are wrong

Luke 18:13 "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

This is the prayer of the tax collector when Jesus spoke a parable to those who self-identify as righteous and look down on others.

The Pharisee's prayer was, "I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, who are greedy, unjust, or adulterers, nor am I like this tax collector.

We may not pray this way to God, but we may have condescending thoughts about someone.

At the end of the parable, Jesus indicated that "whoever exalts himself will be brought low, and whoever brings himself low will be exalted.

We have a hard time admitting our faults and weaknesses.

This is because we are looking at others and not at God.

When we look up to God, we are illuminated by His light and see our weaknesses and ugliness clearly.

We need to bring them to God so that He will have mercy on us without justifying them or making excuses.

Then we can be healed, pitied, forgiven, and take a step forward with God.

God knows everything about us.

Our boasting in our weakness is a praise of God's great power.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.