Who do you think you are?

Luke 18: 9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"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.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (NIV)

The Message puts verse 14 like this:
Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."

To me, this passage begs the question: Who do we think we are?

We like to be self-sufficient, right? We like to brag to others about our accomplishments. But, when we come before God, shouldn't we have a little more perspective? I mean, he knows what's going on. All the time. He's know what we're doing. What's in our hearts. Our minds. What we think about our next door neighbors or the person who sits next to us at work. And yeah, he knows the good stuff, too. Like when we shovel all the sidewalks in the neighborhood. Or when we spend time with family and friends and make them feel loved. But, the key I think, is that, in the words of Jesus, "Only God is good."

So, what's my point? Well, it's that God knows us and that we can't fool him. We need to remember to check ourselves. This past weekend I had a prayer retreat with my co-workers. During worship we were singing this song about God helping people to see that they need him. And I started to think of some others. Not myself. Some others. But, thankfully, I was quickly reminded that the song was about me, too. I need God to heal my blindness. To unstop my deaf ears. I need God's grace. And I always will.

We all need to recognize that we're not really self-sufficient and we really aren't all that awesome. But God is right there. He justifies and loves us because of HIS goodness and mercy. It's good to remember that that's really who I am...or should be, at least.

Who do you think you are?