The Pharisee and Tax Collector
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
I remember someone explaining to me how someone as "good" as a preacher could stand nearer to God based upon his Holy Goodness compared to a common criminal...
Although the preacher would be standing minutely closer to God, both the preacher and the common criminal would still be standing light years of distance away from God in his Holiness. Despite our works and lot in this life, the only true closeness we have with God is through the pure righteousness of Jesus Christ who suffered on the cross above Calvary.
When we kneel in prayer to God and we repent of our sins in Jesus' name, we accept our flaws in this world of flesh and cover ourselves only in the righteousness of Jesus. Not only is it humble, but it allows us by Christ's authority, to be spiritually exalted in this world and under God, the Holy Father.
This is so much greater than any vain attempt to see ourselves as "number one," to receive a presidential medal, or a Nobel Peace Prize. The miraculous power granted through the authority of Jesus in this world stands eternal- not a term nor a lifetime. Amen.