A House of Trade
How often in the bible to do you see Jesus getting angry? The Pharisees tried to back him into corners, but never could. He was scoffed at and mocked. The ONLY time we ever read of Jesus's anger in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) at the church toward those who turned the temple into a "den of thieves" or a house of trade as in John 2:16. That incident alone should be an example of righteous anger (breaking God's commandments) versus human anger over things like misunderstandings.
Jesus was not mad that the temple was selling a book or a Biblical aid or something. Jesus was upset that the focus was completely turned away from God. People who visited the temple during the Passover had to pay a temple tax (like paying to go to church) and money changers served as the one who could convert Roman coins into "acceptable" currency for the temple offerings and the temple tax.
This is not the same as a tithe or offering. Even in today's times, if I use a foreign bill or coin as an offering or tithe, there shouldn't be anyone there who is working at the church as a foreign cash exchange. That business should be done at the appropriate time and place like at a bank, not during the time of worship to God. When we go to church, we are going to worship God. He is the focus, not the person we find attractive, not the person you want to rub elbows with for political or personal gain. God's word and teaching is the focus.
References- Got Questions and Study Light- Dave Guzik (Section B:1a-d)
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Approval of People
There are things we do that are so common place to us that actually have nothing to do with what we think unless it is tied to how people will perceive it. There are people who volunteer from time to time because of the photo opportunity. There is a cosmetic surgery industry that flourishes from insecurities and perceptions of others. Don't get me started on the fashion industry and red carpet events. That thrives on public perception and who is wearing what from which designer.
Living for the approval of people is no way to live. Every generation will cherish something else. The 1950s had a different view of males and females than how this generation views what defines a male and female. How people choose to see us isn't important. How God sees us is what is important. People see the outside, God sees our heart.
Jesus had just finished telling a parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-13). The Pharisees never liked Jesus's teaching, ideas and parables and ridiculed him. Instead of getting angry and getting into an argument (as many of us would do) for being ridiculed Jesus replied with a simple statement that has deep meaning. Jesus said, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." He was telling them that they do things and say things to have the approval of people but they overwrite and ignore what God will think about it.
What God has to say about what we do and what we say matters not more than other things or less than other things, but is the only thing that matters. Have you ever had a time where you did something nice for someone and they thought or someone else thought that you had ulterior motives? It has happened to me. You try to do the right thing but people look at it with the wrong lens. Or there are times I thought I was doing the right thing and really it had an ulterior motive. Man sees the outside, God sees the inside (1 Samuel 16:7). Let pleasing God be your focus.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
What Is Said in the Dark...
Have you ever heard of the saying "what's done in the dark will come to light?" What does that mean? I have always understood it to mean that what you do in secret will eventually get out and will no longer be a secret.
It is actually a quote from Jesus regarding hypocrisy. Men who hide truth from other men may be successful in that context, but what about hiding something from God. Can you actually hide something from God? What would you even want to hide from God? Shame for our sins makes us try to hide from God. Remember Adam and Eve when they hid from God after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? They hid because they were ashamed.
Jesus is saying that whatever we do to try to hide from man will still be seen by God. God can see all. So, even if you commit a crime and try to cover it up, God knows. God knows everything. What we do in darkness (distance from God) shall be heard by God's all knowing ears. God wants us to not hide from Him but connect to Him and His will as we see in Romans 8:29. God wants us to be like His son, Jesus. The more we are like hima nd seek to be like Him by remaining in God's will, the less we will feel the desire to hide from our shame.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE THIS VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS.
