May 21, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Luke - Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Luke 19:45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
Two times Jesus clears the Temple of God, once at the beginning of His ministry and the second time just before He gives His life for the sin of the world.
John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
God has a great Zeal for His Temple and for His church.
One of the reasons the Temple was destroyed was because of perversion in it.
(Read Ezekiel chapters eight, nine and ten.)
Ezkiel 9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
In most cases man believes that God does not see nor care consequently worship is void of God’s blessings. Worship today is not in the beauty of holiness but according to the will man. The church is no longer a place of prayer but a place for the player.
I am reminded of how the Temple was violated in Nehemiah’s time with one named Tobiah.
Nehemiah 13:7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
All throughout history the worship of God has been slowly injected with perversions taking away the beauty of holiness and the element of prayer from the house of God.
As we read Revelation chapters two and three we can see the slow decline of the church until it becomes the laodicean church or modern church the people not of God.
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
One last thought: Christian, your body is the Temple of God.
1Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
