“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, ‘The Scriptures declare, “My Temple will be a house of prayer,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’” (Luke 19:45–46 NLT)

 

In our next set of devotions, we’re going to look at ways to “tune up” our spiritual lives—ways to strengthen and mature our relationship with the Lord. And we’re going to start with some early spring cleaning.

My wife, Cathe, and I are polar opposites when it comes to cleaning. My approach can be summed up by the procrastinator’s motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. Cathe’s approach is to constantly clean and organize so that over time, little messes don’t become big ones. Obviously, her approach is the better one.

In Luke 19 we find the story of Jesus’ cleaning the house of God as He went into the temple and drove out the moneychangers. These temple merchants were taking advantage of people and keeping them from God, and this angered Jesus.

This is the second time in Scripture that Jesus cleaned the temple. In John 2:13–17, we read that He used a whip to drive out the moneychangers. Little messes turn into big messes, so Jesus arrived to clean house again.

I believe there is a parallel to our own lives. When we come to Christ initially, we ask for His forgiveness, and He pardons us of all our wrongdoing. In fact, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT). What a wonderful thing it is to realize that God has forgiven us of all our sin. We are cleansed.

But as time passes, sometimes some of our old sins find their way back into our lives. Maybe they start small. But they don’t stay that way. They begin to grow and take up bigger and bigger parts of our life until they become a serious problem. The longer we wait to address them, the harder the cleanup is.

That’s why we must frequently examine our lives and deal with what we find instead of trying to excuse it. We must ask God to make us aware of things we may not see. We must also find accountability partners who will lovingly confront us when they see things in our lives that go against our Christian faith.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT).

The psalmist wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23–24 NLT).

Does your temple need cleansing? Are there some things in your life that shouldn’t be there? Are there some vices, some bad habits that have found their way back into your life? If so, deal with them now.

Don’t let little messes turn into big ones.

 

Reflection question: What are some little messes that you need to clean up in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, &lsquo;The Scriptures declare, &ldquo;My Temple will be a house of prayer,&rdquo; but you have turned it into a den of thieves.&rsquo;&rdquo; (Luke 19:45&ndash;46 NLT)
&nbsp;
In our next set of devotions, we&rsquo;re going to look at ways to &ldquo;tune up&rdquo; our spiritual lives&mdash;ways to strengthen and mature our relationship with the Lord. And we&rsquo;re going to start with some early spring cleaning.
My wife, Cathe, and I are polar opposites when it comes to cleaning. My approach can be summed up by the procrastinator&rsquo;s motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. Cathe&rsquo;s approach is to constantly clean and organize so that over time, little messes don&rsquo;t become big ones. Obviously, her approach is the better one.
In Luke 19 we find the story of Jesus&rsquo; cleaning the house of God as He went into the temple and drove out the moneychangers. These temple merchants were taking advantage of people and keeping them from God, and this angered Jesus.
This is the second time in Scripture that Jesus cleaned the temple. In John 2:13&ndash;17, we read that He used a whip to drive out the moneychangers. Little messes turn into big messes, so Jesus arrived to clean house again.
I believe there is a parallel to our own lives. When we come to Christ initially, we ask for His forgiveness, and He pardons us of all our wrongdoing. In fact, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17, &ldquo;This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!&rdquo; (NLT). What a wonderful thing it is to realize that God has forgiven us of all our sin. We are cleansed.
But as time passes, sometimes some of our old sins find their way back into our lives. Maybe they start small. But they don&rsquo;t stay that way. They begin to grow and take up bigger and bigger parts of our life until they become a serious problem. The longer we wait to address them, the harder the cleanup is.
That&rsquo;s why we must frequently examine our lives and deal with what we find instead of trying to excuse it. We must ask God to make us aware of things we may not see. We must also find accountability partners who will lovingly confront us when they see things in our lives that go against our Christian faith.
The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT).
The psalmist wrote, &ldquo;Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life&rdquo; (Psalm 139:23&ndash;24 NLT).
Does your temple need cleansing? Are there some things in your life that shouldn&rsquo;t be there? Are there some vices, some bad habits that have found their way back into your life? If so, deal with them now.
Don&rsquo;t let little messes turn into big ones.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What are some little messes that you need to clean up in your life?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Deal with the spiritual messes in your life immediately so that they don’t grow.

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