The Reading is from Luke 18:10-14
The Lord said this parable, "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Lord said this parable, "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
No matter how hard we try on this world we cannot escape Newton’s law of physics: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If we hit something we will have an impact equal and opposite to how hard we hit.
Spiritually the same is true for us. God allows us to reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). If someone exalts himself, lifts himself up, then God will put him down. Contrariwise, if we humble ourselves, God will lift us up, “humble yourselves before the Lord that He may exalt you in due time”
The Pharisee, a symbol for us religious people, here lifted himself up, God however put him in his place. As we start Lent very shortly, let’s realize we can’t escape this spiritual law: what goes up must come down. Like Newton’s law,”for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” the same is true. If we want to be lifted up then we must humble ourselves- submit to God’s will, “God gives more grace (He lifts up) therefore He says God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.”
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