Jan 30, 2017 – Matt 21
My house will be
called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. Matt 21:13
Those who pray for
God’s help without helping God’s Kingdom are robbers, not followers.
Being robbed has a feeling of violation that is hard to get
rid of. It’s happened to me several
times, from a few car break-ins, to a stolen car, to robbing the business where
I was working. While the thief was just
looking for free income or merchandise, there was a sense of personal attack
associated with it. They may have only
taken cash or radios or other items, but I noticed a piece of my spirit was
stolen, and it seems to always take a little time to recover from that loss.
Without knowing it, people are often thieves in the house of
God as well, robbing not only His Kingdom but stealing a piece of His Spirit
every time. It may not be personal to us
as thieves, but it is definitely personal to Jesus. He sees the selfishness and the violation
behind the act, and has no problem telling us the truth. That’s why Malachi says we are robbing God
when we without our offerings for ourselves.
It’s also why Jesus calls us robbers when we are more interested in what
God can do for us than what we can do for God. With or without money involved, it is still
robbery, because we are taking the gift of the Spirit and abusing it for our
own self-centered desires.
Strong language, but something we all need to hear. Too often, our prayers are more about us than
about God. Too many times, we’re more
interested in what God should be doing on our agendas than what God’s agenda
is. How is it that worship takes a back
seat to weekend activities? Or why do
people often talk about praying to God for help, but never seek to know God in
His Church? We can justify it all we
want, but it still is robbery.
Jesus was indignant that day when He entered the temple to
see how far worship had declined. Temple
leaders were using the church to make money.
Money-changers and vendors were leveraging the church to be their
market. Worshippers were satisfied
paying for forgiveness with their sacrifices instead of seeking the face of
God. The whole scene was a sham,
everyone satisfying their desires but NOBODY worshipping the Lord… they had all become white collar
thieves! And it was acceptable behavior
in the Kingdom of Israel.
It may be acceptable in Israel, and even in some churches
today, but robbing God is NOT acceptable to Him. He is looking for followers, not
robbers. Jesus calls us to be disciples,
not merchants. Our salvation is for the
purpose of serving the Father’s Kingdom, not growing our own kingdoms.
We need to stop robbing God!
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Come before Him in joyful song. Bring the whole tithe (offerings &
service) into the storehouse of God.
Freely you have received, freely give!
Let all who call on the Name of the Lord bring Him praise. Be a follower, not a robber.
Who knows… it might just change the results of our prayers
too!
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