Luke 18:13
God Have Mercy on Me, for I am a Sinner
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
Mark 2:13-17
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats with Sinners
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Ephesians 2:4-10
Saved by Grace through Faith
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 17:3
Now this is Eternal Life
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
There is a hope for sinners and this hope comes from Jesus Christ…It is a hope that upholds much of my faith…This hope is about LOVE, forgiveness, mercy, and grace and it is part of the foundation of those who follow Him…
And as I pray to our Father in heaven, I have learned some things over the years about prayer...When I was younger I used to think of prayer and praying differently, than I do today…I used to wrongfully think, if I would or could be good then God might hear my prayers, or at least hear them better…I thought the better I was, then maybe the better chance I had for a tough prayer to be answered…How wrong was I and my thinking…
Prayers are not answered by me being better…Prayers are answered out of grace…I believe now that prayers being answered are totally out of God’s grace…Redemption and His Saving us, is all from God, and is all about Him...These things come all out of God and His Son's doings and accomplishments and none out of mine...
Prayers are answered by mercy and forgiveness…How else can they be answered for a sinful man?…So, I no longer think of prayer, if I do this, then God will do that…Prayers are a gracious answer from a Gracious, Loving Father…Because of His great LOVE for us, God, who is rich in His mercy, has made us alive with Jesus with an indwelt Holy Spirit—it is by His grace we have been saved...And God raised us up with Jesus and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in His Son, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Jesus...For it is by His grace we have been saved, through our faith in Him and His Father—and this is not from anything we have done...Grace is the gift of God— so it is not by our works, or by being one's best, so that no one can boast...And Jesus says eternal life can be explained in these terms: "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."...
Jesus teaches us the eternities of life...I do pray some day to make it to heaven and eternal life...And one of my favorite prayers now is "Father have mercy on me, I am a sinner."...