by Emily Wooten
Matthew 21: 12-16 (ESV) And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
When we talk about Jesus overturning the money changer’s tables, we don’t often say the first thing he did was to teach. He didn’t throw a fit and storm off at all. His actions were one of cleaning house. He told them what God expected of them and where their error was. The results were miracles happening. They were given opportunity to correct their behavior. God wants us to be a house of praise. It is our privilege and opportunity to share his love everywhere we go. Forget pomp and circumstance of pageants and programs. What God really desires is a people who will consider him every morning, noon and evening: to see what he wants to do with our day.
In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we are reminded today is the acceptable day; now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
There is nothing more important than sharing the good news in our speech, in our demeanor, in our lifestyle.
Hunting Easter eggs does not glorify God or point anyone to Christ. What you do 365 days a year is more weighty than any program on a holiday.
Remember 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Let’s practice considering God in all our ways and make every day an expression of his will in us. Then we can have all the programs we want knowing we have put God first and pleased the Lord with our whole life.