Not Running With People of Color

I recently got a good deal on a printed T-Shirt and for those of you who know me, it would rightfully define some of my personality traits. It simply reads: I did not mean to offend you---that was just a bonus. With that said, I am once again going to be the unpopular killjoy that will most likely be offensive to the mainstream mediocre brand of American Christian.  Although my intentions are not to offend, I will most likely be offensive in stating what I believe is necessary truth that needs to be voiced. I am writing this on the heels of a weekend event held in Milwaukee: The Color Run. This yearly event is a well-organized, very popular attraction that is gaining momentum as one of those “cool things you can do for fun” that is for the most part, safe and family friendly. In fact, my sixteen year old daughter attended this year’s event. This being the second year we have allowed her to attend, I decided to take a closer look at what this event was all about. The primary focus of the run is to make people “happy.” Which in and of itself, is not a bad thing. It’s about having fun together in the context of community. So that’s a good thing right? After all, isn’t that what we are focusing on in the church of today? A place of community where we do life together and all is well? I almost betting that a Color Run church movement could draw a great crowd be an effective platform for a creative approach to reaching the lost for Christ. Well, not exactly. 

For a frame of reference, before I proceed to make my point, I want you to examine these images:

 

The upper images are from the Color Run. Perfectly harmless, right? The lower images are from the Festival of Holi, which is a celebration of worship based upon various Hindu legends of good triumphing over evil. In each legend, depending on what region of India of Nepal you may live, the story involves an evil deity being defeated by a good deity. The festival itself is celebrated around the spring equinox---thus the end of winter (Death) and the coming of spring (Life). 

So what is your point Jay? Are we not allowed to have some fun or are you about to compare the Color Run with pagan rituals? Yes, but its not just that. I’m tackling a greater concern which is becoming a more disturbing trend among the American brand of Christian. If you have not noticed, (if you really haven’t noticed, then I guess I am speaking directly to you), there has become a blending of the secular and sacred cultures. Its not that the world has decided to give in and involve themselves in the practices of the church; rather, the church has decided to involve themselves in the practices of culture, polished it off a bit, and slapped the label of endorsement upon it. We’ve joined forces, we’ve locked arm in solidarity, and we have refused to see any significant differences between us and them (After all, this would be considered prideful, judgmental, and downright rude!) Wait, I can hear it now, “Jesus would have run the Color Run, He identified with sinners.” That has about as much fact as the Scripture where Jesus allowed the demons to enter into the pigs, allows them to kill the pigs,  so He could use the pigs to enjoy a plate of bacon! Jesus may have talked to the sinner, reached out to the sinner, eaten with the sinner, but He never identified with them----sinners identified with Jesus. Jesus’ identification in life was crystal clear and it was not with man, but with His Father. He spoke this truth in phrases like, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9) and I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus never made statements like, “Look at this world, you can see that I am just like them and I want you to be like them, to live as they live, so that you can identify with them.” In fact the premise of Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus’ commission to the church, was to make the world identify with Him in becoming disciples. (Just in case you need to be reminded, a disciple is literally to be a mirror reflection of who they are following).

In becoming a Christian, there is a metamorphosis. As Paul states, “If any one in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is past and the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer to be identified with our old life. Paul makes this point clear to the Corinthian church, which by the way, continually struggled with their inability to separate themselves from the culture they lived in in serving Christ. Reflect upon this passage:

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God (OUR IDENTIFICATION). As God has said, “I will live among them and I will be there God and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord.                                                                       

(2 Corinthians 6:14-17)

Evangelism doesn’t take place through blending in with culture, it takes place when the believer stands apart from it and looks drastically different than the world around him. We have somehow convinced ourselves in the American church that in order to be effective in sharing our faith, we need to “do life” with unbelievers. In reality the opposite is true, we need to live in such a different way from the rest of the world, that unbelievers want to “do life” with us! We do have to live in this world and interact with those around us; however, there are limitations and definite lines which we can cross. Every time we compromise our witness by being participants in the things that would identify us with this world, we are allowing identity theft  to take place against Christ---and this is where things like the Color Run come into play. Yes its is something that our culture does; however, what is it identified with? I posed this question to my daughter upon her return: 

“Do we think that God looks at the Holi Festival in India any differently than the Color Run in America? That somehow, He says, ‘They’re worshiping demons overseas and just having a good time in the states?’ Do we think that someone who has never known of a Color Run, and yet, is a devout Hindu, would recognize any difference between the two events?”

  

The truth is, when we place ourselves in various cultural practices, we seldom think about the identity of Christ within us. We pretend that there are no repercussions to our participating in activities that identify us with the world. In essence, we are making Jesus to look like someone He is truly not. He was all embracing to people, but not all embracing of what people did. He did not strive to be relevant, accepted, or even liked. But what He did was to tear apart His culture’s understanding of what it truly meant to worship God, by exposing the falseness of the practices of the day that were not based upon the truth of Scripture. Why? Because His culture was misrepresenting God. Whether it was the Pharisees, Sadducees, Samaritans, or Syrophoenians , Jesus attempted to correct the perspective of people when it came to their approach in identifying who they believed God to be. In the end, we want to believe that what “we do” doesn’t matter because of our misguided understanding of grace and love. In reality, it does matter whether we choose to believe it or not. One only has to read through the New Testament to see that Scripture is overwhelmingly clear about our identity as believers and our participation in our culture. If what we do is going to misidentify Christ in our lives, making Him embrace things which He never would have identified with, then we are doing nothing more than worshiping the pagan gods while believing that we are just having “fun.”

Love is Not Love

Love. It is a word that we Americans, well, we “love.” We love everything from our spouses, kids, dogs, jobs, cars, and even Velveeta Cheese smothered in Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup (not that I would ever admit that I have tried such a concoction). The point is that we have assigned this word love to every arena of our lives. And the result? Love no longer means love. In its defense, love is a difficult word to define, at least in the English language. Even the 1828 Webster’s definition had difficulty pinpointing the essence of what love truly is. Generally speaking, Webster defined it as “that which gives us pleasure and delight” (it is interesting that Webster also states that “if our hearts are RIGHT, we love God above all things”). For the most part, what we see with the word love is a reflection as to what is happening in society----a devaluing of meaning and worth. The postmodern mindset has successfully permeated our culture to the point where meaning is no longer contingent upon truth but personal interpretation. Unfortunately, this is not limited to culture but has infiltrated the ideology of today’s American church. In embracing the trend of postmodernism, we have become dangerously close, if not already guilty of, profaning the ultimate meaning and expression of love: Jesus Christ.

If one were to step onto our planet for the very first time and somehow find themselves in the midst of the American culture, what would their understanding of love become? Although we would try to convey with our words love’s meaning, our actions would speak much louder. It would not take long for the stranger to deduce that love must be “whatever makes me happy and makes others happy in such a way that we are never offended, never corrected, and always accepted in the pursuit of that which gratifies and brings pleasure.” With that new founded understanding, when that stranger would hear the phrase, “For God so loved the world….” one has to wonder how he would interpret its meaning. The truth is, we do not need this first-time visitor to help us answer the question. We only need to look at the endless threads of social media posts that scream the mentality of this stranger’s definition of love. Love has become whatever we want it to be, after all “love is love.” So what is the big deal? Am I simply being just another close-minded judgmental Christian that can’t see how much Jesus loves us? No, I am tired of seeing believers live in a state of deception and confusion. In other words church, you’re starting to drink the Kool-Aid and are about to commit mass suicide. The church is failing miserably despite its trend of attempting to become more relevant toward culture. So why isn’t that working for us? Why isn’t the idea of “just love people” having much effect? My humble opinion? Because we are offering a picture of God’s love that is not accurate. Quite simply, it’s because we don’t understand God’s love.

God’s love is not our love! God’s love cannot be defined through what we think love is to be. His love is revealed to us in Scripture but we seldom consider what it conveys. Here are the facts: God does not accept us as we are! If you believe that, then you just eliminated any reason for Jesus to sacrifice Himself on the cross, thus rendering it meaningless. Why can’t we be accepted without the cross? Because we are sinners. Put that idea in our modern vernacular and we just devalued society’s meaning of love: God puts stipulations upon accepting us. Yes, He loves us, but to God, love and acceptance are two entirely different things. God is also very offensive! It is impossible to be not be offensive to God, He’s God, the epitome of holiness. He calls sin, SIN! Just the very thought of John 3:16 is offensive---What do you mean that I have to believe in Jesus to have eternal life? God, are you insinuating that there is something wrong with me, that I am somehow not good enough on my own to go to heaven? That’s exactly what it means! (Especially if you consider John 3:17, that suggests we need to repent.) Hey, try to suggest that someone needs to change and isn’t good enough for something, and say, “But I still love you.” I guarantee they will not believe you; but God still loves us even though He says that to us. God is not concerned with our happiness, He’s concerned with our eternity. He is hard on sin---so hard on it that He gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ to pay an awful price for you!  In the end, we have created a god that serves our own understanding and desire. We want to define his love as we define love in the hopes that it will somehow make us all feel better and get along with one another. Yes, God loves you, but it’s not how you love Him or love others. For Him, love can be offensive, love doesn’t have to accept, and love is willing to do what is necessary in order for you to see the truth of His love even if that means suffering an eternity without Him because you refused to accept the ultimate expression of His love in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  

Of Grills, BBQ, and Suffering

I recently received an early birthday gift from my wife. After spending two and a half hours assembling it, I am the proud owner of a combination gas and charcoal grill. It currently sits unblemished on my front porch awaiting the day when I will either ignite the propane gas to make a flame or start a fire using wood and charcoal. Until that day (and I assure you it will be much sooner than later), it remains absolutely useless. But even if I decided to fire it up, the flames would serve no purpose if I did not have anything to place upon the grill. Although there is nothing deep or philosophical in realizing that a grill is useless unless one uses it as it was intended to function, the illustration speaks significantly to the area of the purpose of suffering in the Christian life. Paul said in Philippians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” As believers in Christ, we are more than willing to believe in him; however, we seldom desire to suffer for him. Much like the grill that sits on my porch, we want the beauty of being in Christ, being put proudly on display for His glory. I am not looking forward to the spills and splatters that will begin to mar the appearance of my grill once I put it to full use. I want it to stay “nice” and kept clean----and it will remain perfectly spotless if I refrain from doing one thing: starting a fire. Yet, without the fire, what good is the grill?

Grills are designed to experience fire. They are crafted in such a way, that when placed under intense heat, they are able to remain perfectly intact and continue to function as they were designed to do. In essence, a grill is nothing more than a vessel used to contain fire for the purpose of creating something else. By now, you’re probably picturing a rack of ribs glistening with a caramelized glaze from a barbeque sauce. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that when grilling is done right, it produces something incredibly good. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he did so from the context of a man who knew of suffering (for insight into the magnitude of his suffering see 2 Corinthians 11:22-33). For him to say, “You not only get to believe in Christ, but you get to suffer for him” is nothing short of profound. Paul’s understanding of himself was one of a vessel being used for whatever purposes that the Lord had intended. Unlike the picture of a brand new grill being proudly put on display on my porch for the world to see that, “Hey, that is an awesome grill,” Paul’s idea of being “put on display” was likened to a bloody and torturous death walk toward crucifixion (2 Corinthians 2:14). For most of us, we want to avoid suffering at all cost and when suffering comes, we discover that we are not very good stewards of it. Yet, the secret that Paul understood is that suffering produces something greater from our lives. What good would our lives be if we only had the appearance of our beauty in Christ and never produced anything of significance for His glory? Paul in all of his suffering would not have traded it for the results it yielded. God has given us the capacity to endure fire. He has given us what is necessary to withstand great amounts of heat. It is only when we come to that place in our lives where we willingly allow ourselves to be used----to be spilled, splattered, and stained upon----where we will be able to produce sustenance for others, from our lives! I am not trying to minimize the difficulty that many go through in suffering and reduce it to a simple illustration saying, “We should enjoy the experience.” I cannot imagine the magnitude of suffering that many of my brothers and sisters in Christ have had to endure; nor do I desire to face what many of them have faced. I am however, attempting to offer the hope of knowing, that in our suffering, something significant will come from our lives. The fire that we endure is not in vain and the One who ignites the fire has a definite purpose in doing so. God does create something glorious from fires of suffering. Regardless of what we feel Christ has called us to do for His glory, suffering will be in the plan. It is a necessary function for those who desire more than spending their lives sitting on the porch of Christianity. So the next time you gather around the backyard BBQ and see that steak, chicken, or ribs hovering over the red hot coals, let it bring joy to your heart, knowing that when the fire of suffering is burning within us, we will produce something beautiful that others can feast upon.

A Heartfelt Confession

It has been over six months since I have last posted on this blog and I have no excuses to cite in addressing my lack of commitment to that which I have set out to do other than my apathy. We all get lazy from time to time. We all have periods of time in our lives when discouragements and challenges in daily life affect our levels of motivation to accomplish the things we truly desire to do. Unfortunately, for me, discouragement has lingered over my life and has caused me to withdraw and neglect the things I know I have been called to do. It’s not that I’m coming out and saying that for the last six months I have been living in “sin,” but I have been living in a dangerous place where my life has been more dictated by the prodding of my flesh rather than the power of the Spirit within me. Strangely, it’s not that I have gravitated toward a mentality of worldliness or fleshliness; instead, I’ve developed an attitude that has embraced defeat and discouragement as my lot in life. I think of David in 2 Samuel 11 laying aside his “calling” as King and choosing to remain secluded on a rooftop on his palace. Whether or not he was tired or depressed can be debated, but one thing is certain, for this moment in his life he was not living as the person God intended him to be. The results were devastating. He went from the “man after God’s own heart” to an adulterer, liar, and murderer. If he had only went to war and went through “one more battle” perhaps a greater blessing that he had never known would have been his to behold. 
 

Looking back on these last six months, I know that I have missed blessings because I have failed to fight through my discouragement and depression. I have made myself so small in my eyes not realizing that I am more than a “king” in the eyes of God…I am a son of the God over all the universe! And while He allows me to go through these trials and pains that come with living in a depraved and marred world, He has also given me everything I need to fight every battle I face if I would simply continue on in what He has called me to do. I confess to all who are reading this that I have strayed and have failed my Lord and King. I have not lived as the person He has called me to be. I have fallen short of His glory; yet, I also know that “my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25) and that if I will allow Him, He will make me “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:27) and live in such a way where “His grace is sufficient and His power is perfected in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I am being called out of this dark night into a marvelous light where I can begin to be who God has destined me to be. Fear, discouragement, and temptation will certainly continue to come my way; however, they do not have to dictate the life I have been called to live. Today is a new day and the “life I live…I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). No more wandering on the rooftop of the palace of my discouragement and pain. It’s time to once again go to war and fight my battles knowing that “no weapon formed against me shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) and walk in the victory that is rightfully mine because I have made myself fully His.

Missing the Christmas Story?

It's the Christmas Season again! Typically, many are anticipating the events of the season by making plans, buying presents, developing menus, and finalizing travel arrangements. For believers, we are trying to do the same things yet, we also try to add Jesus to the mix by recognizing that “He is the reason for the season.” And while I believe that we get the “point” of Christmas, we sometimes miss the most important aspect of the Christmas story. Matthew's and Luke's account (Matthew 1:18-2:12 and Luke 1:26-2:20) give us the details surrounding the birth of Christ and the prophetic implications of His coming, namely, bringing salvation and the kingdom of God to a world in captivity. John's account of the Christmas story, however, provides a picture of what those things actually mean. You might be questioning the fact if I've ever read the gospel according to John because there is no mention of Mary and Joseph before Jesus was born, the virgin birth, Bethlehem, the wise men, shepherds, angels, or a baby in the manger. In fact, John's description is summed up in one, yet extremely powerful verse that states: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us...” (John 1:14).

For many, that verse reminds that Jesus came to us in the flesh and walked this earth clothed in humanity. The phrase of “making His dwelling among us” is often translated “tabernacled” among us. In other words, the God of the universe pitched a tent on earth and lived among us. We sing songs about Emmanuel or “God with us” and we're reminded of this great mystery of God making Himself flesh. Yet, how often do we consider the implications of this truth and its relation to the Christmas story? Its easy to relegate this to a picture of a helpless baby in a manger who grows up to die on a cross for our sins. After all, that is the reason why He had to come--there was no other way. The unfortunate thing in all of this is in seeing Emmanuel through the eyes of history and not through the truth of reality.

Jesus did come in the flesh and dwelt among us. It is an historic fact that cannot be disputed (unless you're a rouge secular scholar who ignores what even the most critical of skeptics have conceded to recognize). In the Christmas story, we as believers, tend to capsulize the event into a “silent night, holy night”“ which was on a “cold winter's night that was so deep.” We look back on the story during this season and create a nostalgic feeling that brings about excitement when we reminiscence about the coming of the child-King. John's statement, however, runs much deeper than to simply remind us that Jesus came as Emmanuel. Rather, John offers us a picture of what the coming of Jesus would be in reality to “all who received Him, to those who believed in His name...” (John 1:12). In becoming “children of God” something incredible happens----we become the Christmas story!

If I were to ask the simple question of “where does God dwell?” many would respond, “In heaven.” If I were to ask “Where does Jesus dwell?” to a believer, the answer would most likely be “In my heart.” The reality is that as believers, God has chosen to make His dwelling in the tent of our flesh. Its not that He “dwelt among us” as the KJV renders, but that He is even now “dwelling among us” in the tabernacle of our flesh. As Christians, we carry the light within us. We are the helpless babes who are completely dependent upon our Father to help us live as we should in this world. We are the one who have been called to tell a world bound in captivity that “salvation has come” and the “kingdom of God” is at hand. Emmanuel has now become “God with us, GOD IN US!” Christmas is not a story that is confined to history but it is a story that is continuous until the day when Jesus comes once again to bring all things to completion. So while we may enjoy the traditions of this Christmas season and indulge in some things that in light of eternity really have no importance, let's not forget the most important truth of the Christmas story: We are the dwelling of “the Word made flesh” called to shine light into the darkness and to proclaim “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth to men” for salvation has come through Jesus Christ!

A Subtle Deception

Life as of late has been distracting! The demands of being a husband, father, son, employee, church leader, friend and even a follower of Jesus Christ (not that this is a separate entity in itself) makes me feel as if I am being pulled in a hundred different directions. Some may dismiss this as being the result of the holiday season; however, I know that this is not the case. Instead, I believe it is a ploy of the enemy. When we consider the weapons of spiritual warfare in which the enemy can use against the saints of God, in reality, there are only two which he can wield: deception and accusation. The problem for the believer is in seeing “how” he actually uses these potent weapons from his arsenal. I would be lying if I did not say that I feel “accused” during this season of my life. Am I being a good enough husband and father? Am I being the best leader at my church? Am I even being as faithful of a follower of Jesus as I can be? The answer is simple: No! I will never be good enough----because nothing good is in me apart from Jesus Christ. I understand that and I am able to thwart his accusations of my unworthiness based upon the fact that I am worthy in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:1-11). The real struggle, for me, is in not buying into the enemy's deceptive ways.

Most of us think of deception as being an intense cover-up of the true facts. In church circles, we look at people who are in cults such as Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism, and Islam as being a viable example of being “deceived.” We also tend to look at someone who knows the truth of Christianity and has chosen to live a life diametrically opposed to it as being “deceived.” For me, the enemy will never capture me in one of those two camps. When the truth of Scripture is being violated by false teaching, I am immediately stirred to combat. Although I am prone to sin, I am also well aware of that the life Christ has mapped out before me is better than anything this world could ever offer. Does that mean I am immune to the enemy's deception? I wish I could say I am, but then I would be deceiving you. Satan's deceiving tactics upon mature saints is far less subtle but just as potent as his blinding the minds of those in the world. You see, the very fact that we get “distracted” shows that we are susceptible to a lethal form of deception by the enemy.

God has an intended life for all of us to live. He has a plan and purpose for us. The problem is that we too often define the things that are “important” to us in that plan as opposed to allowing God to define the things that should be important to us----and this is where the enemy deceives us. By making us believe that the various aspects of our lives are ours to manage, organize, and freely pursue, he gets us to live in a place where life becomes so cluttered that God's purposes cannot be fully realized in our lives. He takes our relationships, schedules, obligations, concerns, desires, and conflicts and magnifies them in our lives. We begin to believe that these things are necessary priorities in our lives and because we have so many, we become overwhelmed with the day to day management of them. Even as the Christmas season approaches, many believers are experiencing unnecessary stress because of the demands they believe to be placed upon them during this time of year. In the end, we allow little time for what truly matters and much emphasis to the fleeting traditions of the holiday.

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles us.” Rather than just telling us to do that, the writer of Hebrews gives us the solution: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus...” (Hebrews 12:2). The enemy's plan is to hinder God's purposes in us and to entangle our lives so that we will be ineffective as the children of God. The writer of Hebrews suggests that this happens because we get focused on the wrong things in life. In essence, we get “distracted.” Only when our eyes are fixed upon Christ can the things of life, which are important, be determined. We may think certain people and plans need our attention, but according to the Lord, they might not. Unless we are constantly fixed upon Christ, we run the risk of being distracted and deceived into believing that what we're doing is productive and essential to the plan of God. For the believer, Satan's deceptive power exists in the lie that all that is a part of our lives matters----concealing the truth that it's not the life we have been given which matters but the One who gives us life that demands our full priority.

Cheap Worship or Cleansed Temple?

It has been some time since I have posted to this blog. Although life has been busy, I would blame my absence upon something much more significant----wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. I’m certain that for all of us, we have at one time or another found ourselves there. For whatever reason, God allows us to experience the harsh conditions of desert living to help in fulfilling His purposes in our lives. In my case, the painful journey of my soul over the last few months has resulted in a glorious resurrection of passion and love for Christ. This past weekend, I experienced my eleventh silent prayer retreat. As is my custom, I’ve learned not to have any particular agenda to fulfill; rather, I simply knew I wanted to meet with the Lord.

During my first day of retreat, I was directed to read Mark 11:15-18 concerning Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. At first glance, I pictured myself there with the Lord. I saw His face in expectation to worship the Father in the temple and then, suddenly it turned angry as He was greeted with the unholy activities taking place in the temple courts. With a righteous indignation, I pictured Jesus grabbing a whip, snapping items off of the tables and overturning them as He proclaimed, “This is a house of prayer!” That’s right Jesus! Get those people out of the temple who profane it by using it for the purpose of lesser things….oops! At that point, there were only two people I pictured in the temple: Jesus and myself. The bible tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). If we consider that thought for a moment, we have to ask ourselves, “If we’re the temple, then what is the temple’s purpose?” The Old Testament imagery allows us to understand that the temple was the place where God dwelt among His people. As believers, we understand that particular dynamic of Christ dwelling within us; however, do we ever consider the other function of being the temple? The temple was also the place of worship. When Jesus came to the temple that day, it wasn’t for the recognition that God was dwelling there. Instead, Jesus came to make it his place of worship and prayer. Yet, he discovered that the activities taking place within the temple was anything but glorifying God.

I wonder how many of us have a temple full of merchandise that doesn’t belong. How many times do you suppose the Lord examines His temple and sees only that we have made it into a den of thieves that steal from the purpose of our lives in worshiping Him?  We are created to worship the Lord----but what have we made of it? When Jesus entered the temple that day it still appeared to be the temple. All of the elements of Jewish worship were present, sacrifices were being made, and people were even engaged in worshipful activities; yet, the other things taking place in the temple is what drew the Lord’s attention. Jesus could have dismissed the buying and selling going on in the temple by recognizing that there were some areas of the temple that was experiencing genuine worship---but He didn’t! In fact, he accused the entire temple as being a “den of robbers” that stole from the true essence of what the temple was intended for.

As I reflected upon those thoughts, it became clear to me that I had things within my temple that hindered my worship of the Lord. These things go beyond the issue of “sin” and touch the happenings of everyday life. Believe it or not, our lives are not our own. We were not created to decide what we want to do with our lives. We were created for worshiping the Lord and anything else that falls short of that in our lives profanes His temple. In essence, anything in my life that would compete with my worship of God is nothing more than robbing God of the glory that is rightfully His. I discovered that I have a temple that is cluttered with worthless things that steal from God. I believe that if we were honest with ourselves, we might all discover areas of our temple that fall short of truly being a house of worship. It would be wise for us to understand that anything in our lives that cause us to be distracted from our relationship with Christ and anything that would cheapen our existence in glorifying Him is what Jesus desires to cleanse from our lives. When we allow Christ to overturn the tables in our lives and reveal all that does not belong in His temple, we will finally begin to live in that way that God intended us to live for Him.