I’m better than that person

Luke 17: 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.”

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My neighborhood where I grew up was not bad by any stretch of the imagination but there were a few unsavory characters.  One guy constantly broke in our garage and there were others who acted loud and obnoxious.

My parents once scolded me for not doing my chores and I said in my defense, “I’m doing better than those guys.”

• Just because I do fewer sins than another person doesn’t mean I am not off the hook for my own sins.
• Just because someone does something worse than the sin I just did doesn’t give me the right to compare myself to them.
• Just because I have reset my standards doesn’t mean everyone around me is going to reset theirs.

My friends and family have felt my judgmental behavior which actually drives them away from GOD. Discussions about “those” sinners are not appealing to anyone. GOD wants me to humbly admit “I am a sinner.” By the way there is a period on that last sentence.

• Do you think you are better than “that” person?
• Have you stopped doing certain sins and judging others for doing those sins?
• What sins are you hiding?
• Are you willing to proclaim your sins in front of everyone to finally release its deadly grip on you?