Do you remember the story in the Bible when JESUS went to Jerusalem and threw out all the merchants and money changers from the Temple? Recently I was reading about this and thought about how it applies to me.
Matthew 21:12-13
12-14Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:
My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.
My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.
The Temple was the House Of GOD...a place to worship. With it being used as a marketplace, access for what it was intended was almost impossible. So JESUS went and did some major house cleaning! First HE tore it up and then HE tossed them out! My study bible notes say that JESUS' actions were justified because GOD'S glory was being desecrated.
So, how does this apply to me?
What came to mind when I was reading this was...how many things do I let into my house that aren't pleasing to GOD? No...not the house where I reside but me...where the HOLY SPIRIT lives...inside me! I'm speaking about what's in my heart...my thoughts...my very soul!...that is not pleasing to the LORD. I know that daily there are many things. Some of these things continue to live inside of me for longer than they should. Why? Because I don't always see them as a problem...something that will keep me from worshiping the LORD and living to my fullest for HIM! Sometimes it may take a week or two before I come to the realization that I do have a problem. My daily Bible reading comes to a halt...talking to GOD doesn't happen as often as it should...things start going wrong in my life and I start feeling myself slipping down a little lower everyday. As with everything, there's always a choice that I have to make. At the first sign of a problem do I let the junk...contamination...stay in my life, or do I ask the LORD to come in and help me to get rid of it? When I feel that little nudge...from the HOLY SPIRIT...that something isn't quite right I should just take care of cleaning it up right then. In this way I can stay in right relationship with HIM.
I always want to be able to worship the LORD without feeling that something is blocking me from HIS presence. These verses are good to pray daily...sometimes for myself...multiple times!
Psalm 51:10-12
New Living Translation (NLT)
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
and make me willing to obey you.
6 comments:
May He sweep away the cobwebs of apathy and discontentment that can settle in from time to time and dust away the doubts and insecuritites that want to come in and reside inside of me.
Clean away O Lord, Cleanse me from the inside out!
Great post, Chelle. I often pray that scripture from Psalm 51.
Pam
Kristin ~ I like that. Cleanse me from the inside out is what I pray often! Blessings
Pam ~ Hi. It's been a long time since I've heard from you. Good to see you again.
Blessings
Thank you Chelle for posting this today. I needed to be reminded about how important it is to sift through all the junk that I let hang around inside my mind. I hate feeling blocked from fellowship with the Lord. That is such a good comparison you made to our bodies and the temple where Jesus rebuked the merchants.
~God Bless~
Lisa
Hi Lisa, It is a terrible feeling when you can't seem to find your way out into fellowship. Stay strong...Chelle
Thank you for posting this. I love it. ♥ This was something I probably needed to hear. When things get bad in my life, I notice that God is not in the center of my life and I only pray to Him when I actually need something. I know that I need to praise Him in the bad times and the good times.
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