Jesus told a story about two men who went to the temple to pray.

• One was a Pharisee—a religious leader who thought he was very good.
• The other was a tax collector—someone people didn’t like because he often took too much money.

The Pharisee stood tall and prayed like this:
“God, I’m glad I’m not like other people. I’m not bad like that tax collector. I fast and give money to the temple!”

But the tax collector stood far away. He didn’t even look up. He felt sorry for the wrong things he had done.
He prayed:
“God, please forgive me. I’m a sinner.”

Jesus said,
“The tax collector went home right with God, not the Pharisee.”

Then Jesus added:
“If you think you’re better than others, you’ll be humbled. But if you’re humble, God will lift you up.”

God loves a humble heart.

Even if someone has made mistakes, like the tax collector, God listens when they are truly sorry and ask for forgiveness. But if someone is proud and thinks they’re better than others, like the Pharisee, they miss the chance to grow closer to God.

Dear God,
Thank You for loving me.
Help me to be humble,
Not to brag or think I’m better than others.
Teach me to say sorry when I do wrong,
And to be kind and honest every day.
Thank You for forgiving me and helping me grow.
I want to follow You with all my heart.

Amen.