A place of business

As part of the "21 Days of Consecration," we've been encouraged to read one chapter of John each day. Today, when I read John 2, part of verse 16 caught my attention, where Jesus was kicking the money changers out of the Temple: "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."

I could be wrong, but I don't think that Jesus had a problem with people selling doves or other animals in and of itself; it was WHERE they were doing it that was inappropriate. They were in a place that should have been set apart for God and they were using it for personal gain.

I think that part jumped out at me because the messages these last two weeks have been about consecration... setting aside things and times for God. These three weeks aren't just about giving something up, but about purposefully seeking God and dedicating that extra time to Him.

That's going to be a real challenge for me because I'm a workaholic & probably could be categorized as ADD... and I struggle just to stay focused in my quiet times! It seems like there are always more demands on my time than time to meet the demands. A lot of that is my fault for over-committing myself... and that's something I need to watch. If I'm going to truly "consecrate" this time to God, I need to protect it. I can't fill it up with other stuff. I can't take something that was set aside for God and then use it for personal reasons. Otherwise... I'm just another money changer in the temple.