Luke 19:45-47 NLT
'Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” After that, he taught daily in the Temple…'
There is a great wave of satisfaction following a genuine clear-out. The challenge of downsizing is that many things carry meaningful memories. It is the memories associated with them that are hard to give away.
In the famous story of the cleansing of the temple, Jesus drives out the moneychangers as well as the animals they were selling for sacrifice. This was a prophetic act, more than a social and political one. Jesus was headed for the cross, where a whole new relationship between God and humanity was born. As such we would no longer need to bring physical sacrifices to make peace between ourselves and God. We became the living sacrifices whose lives revealed the truth of God on earth. The problem remains, however, that it is far easier to do something in a vain attempt to please God than it is to accept God’s redemption and live content with prayer alone.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry we observe great teaching and many miraculous signs to Jesus’ divine authority. We also note that Jesus often withdrew to pray. On the eve of his crucifixion, he prayed to his Father in Gethsemane. Prayer is the response we are invited to make to God. It is not the exploits we undertake for God, but the prayer and heart attitude we present to God that influence not only our own growth but also seed the kingdom of God on earth.
The basis upon which humanity approaches, honours and serves God has changed. It is my conviction that we have much to learn and that it is imperative that we ensure God’s house is primarily a place of prayer.
QUESTION: How much are you [itals]doing[end itals] for God and how much are you [itals]praying[end itals] for God’s kingdom to come on earth “as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, NLT)?
PRAYER: Help me to clear out the dross and focus again on prayer and relationship with you.

Released on 7 Apr 2020