And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the
temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man
should carry any vessel through the temple.17
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not
written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye
have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief
priests heard it, and sought how they
might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished
at his doctrine. Mark 11:15-18
The day after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus
visits the temple. He was extremely displeased with what He saw, men selling
animals for sacrifices, people using the temple and courtyard like they would a
market place. People were carrying vessels through the temple, using the temple
as “a shortcut” maybe to get to another section of the city.
We are appalled when we read what the people of this time
were doing. Some might say, “I would never do anything like that in God’s
house”. “I am always respectful when I’m in church.”
Are you? Are you always respectful with God’s temple? Do
you treat God’s temple the way He wants it treated? In the Old Testament the
temple of God was referring to the physical building where the people worshiped
and sacrificed. In the New Testament the temple of God is referring to us, our
bodies. We are the temple of God.
Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
If any man defile
the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Corinthians
3:17
What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Corinthians 6:19
And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Corinthians
6:16
These verses are very convicting. What we put on, put in,
put around our bodies does affect the temple of God. It does affect our relationship
with God.
What do we put into the temple today? Our temple is not
meant to have “other things” clutter it up. Is the temple of our heart being
shared with “idols”. An idol is anything we put before God. Do we make excuses
for why we can’t read the Bible, but have time to read everything else. I know
I have been there. Pray and ask the Lord
to help you keep His temple clean.
Donna
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