Luke 18:9 "Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else." (GNB)

Happy Sabbath!

Two things that can make our prayers ineffective are a self-righteous attitude and a bad attitude towards others. By "bad attitude" I'm talking about contempt, hatred, and snobbery. The person who is self-righteous, or is trusting in themselves for their righteousness has no desire for a relationship or closeness with our Savior. They also don't feel the need for His gift of salvation nor His intervening for them. The person who is prejudice, or displays snobbery towards others is not someone who's heart is open to the pure, unconditional love of Christ. When we don't feel the need for Christ, or are not open to His love and acceptance we are not ready or able to receive the blessings He gives us.

Jesus told the following parable to those who had closed themselves off from God by their own self-righteous attitude and prejudices.

"Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, 'God, have pity on me, a sinner!' I tell you," said Jesus, "the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great."
Luke 18:10-14

Romans 3:23 tells us "for all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God." None of us are any better than anyone else. We are all sinners. And because we are sinners we all fall short of the glory or praise of God. We were created in God's image and before sin, humans were able to walk with God, stand in His glory, and receive His praises. By praises, I'm talking of the kind of praise a father would give his child. But now none of us are worthy to be in His presence. We can only come to God through Jesus.

"But Jesus lives on forever, and His work as priest does not pass on to someone else. And so He is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through Him, because He lives forever to plead with God for them. Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; He has no fault or sin in Him; He has been set apart from sinners and raised above the heavens. He is not like other high priests; He does not need to offer sacrifices every day for His own sins first and then for the sins of the people. He offered one sacrifice, once and for all, when He offered Himself."

Hebrew 7:24-27 (GNB)

When we realize how far we are from what God intended us to be, when we see how low and filthy our sins have made us, and humbly fall on our knees, confess our sins and asked to be forgiven we are then ready and able to receive His forgiveness and His blessings. As long as we see our need for a Savior, Jesus will always plead our case to God for us. Because Jesus is sinless, and because He offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of everyone, it is only through Him that we become righteous.

Have a Happy Sabbath!