Daily Devotional ~ The Temple
Worship: If you'd like to play a song before you begin or while you read, may we recommend "Famous For" by Tauren Wells.
Daily Verse: “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
☆ John 2:19 NLT
Let's Talk About It: The Sadducees and Pharisees believed Jesus to be speaking about the actual, physical temple they were standing in when Jesus spoke these words.
Christ was unsettled in His Spirit by what He witnessed upon entering the temple...a marketplace of lambs, goats, and other animals raised simply for slaughter, and being exchanged for money.
No longer did people raise their own livestock. The world was changing, becoming more modern, as Hellenism (Greek culture, literature, and lifestyle) overtook the landscape as far east as Asia Minor, their ideals were adopted by the Israelites as well.
I can't help but wonder, in our current landscape, what we may be on the verge of discovering about Christ. He is afterall, the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). And we see from today's reading, no one has ever understood the breadth of His power, not even us.
We have spent centuries studying His Good Book, and many of us don't understand all the theology and doctrine confined therein. However, we know, without a shadow of doubt, that Christ has overcome sin and the grave, and tomorrow, we will celebrate His Resurrection.
The first temple took 7 years to build, the second took 46 years, and Jesus took 3 days to rebuild His.
Additional Reading: The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn, in the month of Bul, during the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple.
☆ 1 Kings 6:38 NLT
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for The Cross. Thank you for taking my sins on your shoulders and helping me find life, not just eternal life Jesus, but a life of servitude on your behalf. Jesus, you are my example, and even though I fall short of your standards every single day, you love me anyway. There will never be enough words to express just how grateful I am to call you friend. Lord, look after my loved ones today, and those who may be mourning the loss of someone. Thank you for protecting us. Thank you for your provision. I am nothing without you Lord Jesus. I love you and in your name I pray, amen.