FEBRUARY 28, Luke 18:13 

“The milk tasted terrible!” As Sarah thought about it, she remembered that as Mother left for the grocery store, she had mentioned that the milk was turning sour. “Well, now what?” thought Sarah. Then she had an idea. If I add some chocolate, it will cover the sour taste, she thought. But after taking a big gulp of the chocolate milk, she groaned. It still tasted awful!
Later that morning, Sarah skipped off to her weekly bible class. She listened carefully as Mrs. Lin shared a story Jesus had told His disciples.
“Two men went into the temple to pray,” began Mrs. Lin. “One was a Pharisee–a man who did many good works and went to the temple often. The other man was a dishonest tax collector. The Pharisee prayed first, telling God that he was glad he was good and not bad like the other man. He reminded God of all the good things he did.” Mrs. Lin paused and looked around at the boys and girls. “Now let me tell you about the other man–the tax collector,” she continued. “He didn’t even lift up his head. He just cried out to God, pleading for forgiveness from his sins. And do you know what Jesus told His disciples? Jesus said that the tax collector–not the Pharisee–went home ‘justified,’ or forgiven. You see, the tax collector knew that only God could take away his sins, but the Pharisee was trying to cover up his sins with good works. He was really not a good man at all.

As Sarah listened, she smiled and nodded. She remembered the sour milk, and she understood that good things don’t necessarily cover up the bad. Good chocolate hadn’t covered the bad taste of the sour milk, and good works wouldn’t cover up sin. “Only Jesus can forgive sin,” she thought,
“I’m going to remember that.”

Thought: Do you obey parents? Behave politely? Go to church? Are you a “good” person? God says you’re a sinner! None of the good things you do can cover up the “sour taste” of your sin. Only Jesus’ blood can do that. Won’t you pray, as the tax collector did, asking God to be merciful to you. Ask Him to forgive your sin and save you today.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please be merciful to me for I am a sinner. Help me to recognize that on my own, I can do nothing. May I take this opportunity to confess my sins and accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.