In God we Trust

Scripture/Bible:   He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 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!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Reflection: I thought you either only trust God or don’t trust him, but there is a thing called trusting in ourselves.

If you think it is a passing statement and holds true only for the scribes and the Pharisees in the gospel text here then you are absolutely wrong. 

The very survival of humanity is trust. Trust is the foundation on which humanity survives and moves on.  But this trust could be in God or in others or in oneself.

He who boasts that they don’t trust God are in way saying that they either trust themselves or trust others or trust both.  In other words they are putting themselves in God’s place and would even expect others to treat them like gods, with them dispensing their reason why we should also be like them. 

They expect trust from us but would not trust God. They may entrust us with things but will not trust us in matters of God and religion.

What do they have besides a little extra sharper intellect for arguments; they do have pride, in abundant and many a times in humble measure too.

On the other hand, when it is a trust avowed in God it could be a verbal assertion, even constant and consistently so, but with no visible impact in their day to day living.  For example, if you trust God then one practical and automatic outcome would be the absence of worry, because you trust in a God who is a provident God.

Prayer:  May I Lord trust you just the way you need to be trusted.

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