DATE POSTED
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read it in your Bible or click John 2:13-17 to read it in the New Living Translation (NLT).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
In reading this Scripture today, I believe the Holy Spirit caused me to reflect on what I, and others, might expect when we go to church. I remember back in the day when many went to be inspired by the new clothing and hairstyles, but today many churches have since changed to an atmosphere of ‘come as you are’ to encourage those who don’t have, or don’t like to dress up in order to worship the Lord corporately. In our Scripture, seeing that this was the Temple (of God), I believe that Jesus may have hoped to see many things that represent the holiness and kingship of the His Father. But instead, Jesus found a full-fledged marketplace going on, with greed and disrespect being very evident. But notice, dear friends, that in spite of His disappointment, Jesus didn’t turn around and leave, nor did he seek social avenues to share His frustrations about what He found. Instead, He – the One who was born in a stable, the one who ministered to the lowliest of people, He became indignant when faced with this disappointing disrespect to His Father. But how does this relate to our respective churches today? Would our church be know more as a commercial center? A place of worship? A holy place where God awaits the praises of His people? A salvation station where we are not only entertained, but encouraged to join in worship to our King, the Word of God taught without fear of retribution, and where sin is highlighted while teaching us to seek God’s forgiveness and His strength to overcome our sin? But it gets a whole lot more personal – in 1 Corinthians 3:16 we are told that ‘we are the temple of God’. To all believers reading this devotional, I wonder what kind of response we would see from Jesus if He inspected His temple in us? You know, our lifestyle, our commitment to Him, our obedience to His Word, or our following in His example. Perhaps we should ask our loving Lord to go through our life, overturn the tables, and drive out the cattle so we won’t be ripped off from what He wants to do in and through us. For the unbeliever, or unsaved reader, I pray that you will see from today’s Scripture that although Jesus was firm in responding to what He saw at the temple, yet He was in control and dealt with the dove owners quite differently, not wanting to bring harm to the living creatures. The God we serve is still loving and caring in the same way, and despite the disappointment He may endure by seeing His created ones choosing Satan over Him, I am convinced that He will receive as at any given moment that we surrender our all to Him. Remember, He is holy, and He designed us to be like Himself. Listen to that still small voice that gives you guilt feelings about your sin and disobedience. Turn your life around my friend and seek God’s cleansing of His temple inside of you. Be holy, as your Master and Lord is also holy!

PRAYER
Lord, there are many of us who become disappointed when our children follow in paths unbecoming of what they were taught in our home, and in the church we took them to, so we have an idea of what You must feel when You see us going on in life in our own way, or following the path Satan pushes on this world. Please forgive us Lord and continue to upset our ‘applecart’ of sin and disobedience. Continue to teach us the path we should follow to be more like You, and continue to prick our conscience when we stray. Oh that our commitment may remain strong, and may our desire increase daily to follow in Your footsteps, so that others may be encouraged to know You and live according to Your will for their lives. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!