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"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

"And at Lystra there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked. The same heard Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped up and walked.

And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Jupiter whose temple was before the city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the multitudes.

But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent their garments, and sprang forth among the multitude, crying out and saying,

'Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is: who in the generations gone by suffered all the nations to walk in their own ways. And yet He left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.'

And with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them."

"I doubt that the Lycaonians had ever before thought that real gods had come among them. It seems that these were good people. They must have longed in their hearts, even if they didn't yet know it, to draw closer to the one true God. Paul and Barnabas must have told them that they were not wrong to long for the divine. But the one God was very much greater than these two mere mortals. What a scene! What attractive people!"

The moral is twofold: we should not be too quick to dismiss people who tell us they have been touched by God; nor should we accept that someone who claims to speak for Almighty God (or gods) is in fact sent by the Holy One of Israel. In the Russian proverb made famous by President Ronald Reagan, let us "trust but verify!"

"Granddad, thanks for telling me about your favorite Bible heroes. I don't know much history, even of America or the Spanish-American War, but Mom has been teaching me about Charlemagne. Would you like to hear about him?"