Table-Flipping
" And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN." (Matthew 21:12, 13 NASB)
Jesus was miffed! He was angry. He quite literally came in and cleaned house. He took one look at the things going on in the church and said to himself, "THIS is wrong!" But not only that, he took it one step further. Jesus took action. And he wants to do that in our lives.
I am challenged to reflect... What are the tables in my life that Jesus wants to flip over? What are the things I'm doing that go against God's desires. Sometimes these things in our lives are obvious, like greed or lust, but more often than not I find the tables in my life to be subtle. They are things like pride and arrogance, an incredibly critical spirit, or perhaps a general lack of love. There are tables where I put out for display the things of the world that live in my own heart.
What's more, the money changers had lost sight of the purpose of the temple. They lost respect and reverence for the holy place of God, marring its sacredness with selfish ambition. And how often do I do that? How often do I lose site of and take advantage of God's grace, turning my back on the things I know he wants me to do? When I am honest with myself, I see it happens far more often than I care to admit.
Lord, I invite you to bring your Holy Spirit to bear upon every aspect of my life. Reveal the tables of my heart and flip them over for me. Clean house! Shine your light into every dark corner of my heart and mind. Let me not forget or take advantage of the sacrifice you made for me, of the patience you have with me, in my imperfections. Change me Lord, from the inside out. For I cannot change myself.
Created 4 months ago
