Day 2: Realign

Read: Luke 19:45-46

In this current climate everything is being questioned- work, disease, politics, war, climate change, EVERYTHING including the church. The church was always made to be a sacred place where you could worship God, but throughout history there have been moments where this has gone off course, but Jesus made it his goal to shake up the corrupt things within the temple to bring people back to true purpose.

From being a young boy, Jesus spent a great deal of time at the temple. In this particular account in Luke, it is in the temple that Jesus witnessed people being taken advantage of by those overcharging for sacrificial animals and setting unfair exchange rates. This was during a time when thousands had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from far and wide to celebrate the Passover holiday, and these foreigners were falling victim to corruption. God’s house, which was intended for worship and prayer, was being utilized by men for selfish gain. When Jesus entered the temple, he put an end to the robbery with a passionate act and re-established its purity.

The temple had a clear and holy purpose.

Do you know that you too are a temple of the Spirit of the living God? That means you belong to Him! If the temple is His, it is for Him to determine what takes place on the inside. Just as Jesus exercised His authority to restore the temple’s purpose, He desires to get rid of any unclean, harmful thing that exists in you.

As you journey through life with Him, He invites you to accept His correction, to trust Him, and to obey Him. The One who created you knows your purpose, and is passionate about seeing it fulfilled. Jesus was on a mission then and he is still on that same mission now to bring freedom and to realign us both personally and as the global church back to purpose. He wants the best for each of us and doesn’t want us to be held back by the sin, pain and hurt that lingers in our hearts.

Make this your prayer today: Jesus, I accept the fact that You are God and I am not. I was created by You and for You. Today, I commit to pursuing Your ways instead of my own. With each decision, I put you first. In Jesus’ name, Amen.