Don't Be a Hindrance

It's almost one in the morning and I can't sleep, so I've decided to post since I didn't have time earlier today (technically yesterday). We did school this morning, then had to go out of town after lunch. We were gone longer than I thought we would be, and by the time we got home, it was time to start cooking supper. There were no games and no practices to attend this evening, so that was a nice change of pace! It provided us with more family time at home!

From Journey to the Cross... Today we didn't really learn anything that we didn't already know. I'm not saying that we didn't need to hear it again, though, because we did. Especially me. I tend to forget much, and the Lord has to remind me alot!

Today's chapter was called, "Trouble in the Temple," and it focused on Jesus' reaction to the money changers and the merchants selling animals for the sacrifice. As I said, nothing new in this chapter. Well, that's not entirely true. We did learn that the outer courtyard covered almost twenty acres. Wow! I did not realize it was that big. I've done several Beth Moore bible studies and a couple of them have covered the temple, but I don't recall hearing the size of the outer courtyard before now. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong; I'm just quoting what this lady says in her book. I haven't really gone behind her checking her facts.

Can you imagine the scene? The merchants and the money changers had set up shop in the outer courtyard, where the Court of the Gentiles was. Can you imagine the smells? the noise? the chaos? How could anyone pray or worship there? Obviously Jesus was upset. He said to them, "It is written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer. People from all nations can come there to pray.'" What a distraction that would have been to those who came to worship and pray.

Of course today we don't have to worry about merchants and money changers being a distraction to those around us who would come to worship and pray. But there are other means of distraction that make their way into God's house. I won't jump on any band-wagons here because there are too many to jump on.

I did ask my children how they thought we could keep from being a distraction to those around us and how we could help to keep God's house a house of prayer. I had to smile at some of their answers (they pay attention to what's going on around them). And I was pleased with their train of thought. We agreed that we could pray before going into the worship service that the Lord would keep us from being a hindrance to those "who would come to worship and pray."