“The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, ‘Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house will consume me.’” John 2:12-16

Who makes the rules for your house? What kind of behavior will you allow under your own roof?

The Temple was not the temple of the Pharisees or Sadducees. It was not the temple of the great Sanhedrin or even the high priesthood. The temple belonged to God.

That temple is gone but if you are in Christ, you are God’s temple and therefore holy. Jesus bought you with his own life’s blood and has already written your name in his book of life (Revelation 21:27).

The devil wants to fill you with the objects of this world just as the temple had been on that fateful day.

With what does God want you to be filled?

Let’s start with the obvious list (Galatians 5:22-23) beginning with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and then maybe add to it such like things as courage, honesty, loyalty, perseverance, trustworthiness, humility, devotion, respect, reverence, compassion, piety, empathy, thoughtfulness, discipline, hospitality, discernment, boldness, wisdom, mercy, justice, encouragement, service, generosity and….. Every. Other. Good. Thing. …… all of which comes from the influence of the Lord’s Holy Spirit.

You can’t buy any of the above. Only by living these qualities can we fill our temples with them and thus bring God’s glory to the world.

What good things are in Your temple?