Jesus cleanses His temple

Read:
Matt 21:12-17; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48

Consider:
Jesus entered the temple and did not like what He saw. It was not the place it was intended to be. The temple was to be a sacred place where God’s Spirit resided and where God would meet with His people. The temple was a holy place, a place of prayer. A place set a part for God’s purpose, but it had been infiltrated by the activities and purposes of the world.

1 Cor 6:19 says “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus desires to inhabit our hearts. Our hearts are to be the place we meet with Him, set a part and belonging to Him. It is in our hearts where His life springs new in us.

If Jesus were to cleanse your temple, what would he over turn and throw out? Where and how has the world infiltrated your own heart. Are there things in your life that you would not want to be in the same “room” with Jesus?

Jesus declares His house to be a house of prayer. If you were to turn your life into a house of prayer, how would your life be different than it is today? Prayer is how we communicate with God, we tell Him what is on our heart and listen to what is on His heart. Our lives are to be a temple for Him, a place for Him, and He wants to communicate with us through prayer.


Pray:

• Thank God that we can know Him.
• Confess the things that He wants to cleanse out of your life.
• Listen to how He wants to communicate with you.
• Ask Him to make your heart a temple that honors Him.
• Thank Him for making your heart a temple for Him.

Meditate:

1 Cor 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.