House of God

 Matt 11:17
’‘My house shall be called for all nations the house of prayer’? But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

It was the practice and conviction of the church I was saved in to keep the house of God sacred. All exchange of money for whatever purpose was to be done outside the church walls. Food was not to be eaten inside the church sanctuary. This included the basement, and any edifice connected to it. The premise of these strict rules is based on this passage of scripture. I do appreciate the reverence and respect that was given to God’s house, even though I think they have taken this scripture beyond the purpose it was intended. We need to keep the place we gather together to meet God special. We have entered into the presence of God, we are on holy ground. The sanctuary is not a playground or the marketplace, it is a place to “take off our shoes”, lift our hearts, and hear the word of God. 
Like the fig tree that Jesus had cursed on its way to the temple, the Jews were not bearing fruit that was pleasing to God. Their hearts were full of greed and selfish living. They did not care about being true worshipers of God, they used their religion and the temple to pad their pockets. Jesus saw the hypocrisy and the fruitlessness of their lives and manifested His wrath against the way they were blaspheming the House of God. Like the fig tree He cursed and withered away, Jesus was demonstrating His displeasure and anger at the sin of His chosen people. They were all about appearing good on the outside, a tree with leaves, but hearts far from true followers of God. The Jews were not bearing the fruit that God intended them to bear. As believers, it is not enough to be called a Christian, but God desires that our lives bear fruit unto righteousness, living our lives to be like Christ.

Plenteous in Mercy

 Psalm 103:8,9
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
Because God is a holy God, His anger toward sin and rebellion is evident throughout scripture. Humanity was born in sin and with a nature that is in enmity against God. Every child born into this world has inherited this nature. At some point in a person’s life, God holds us accountable for our sinfulness. The simple Gospel message is that Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again to provide a remedy for this sinful nature. It is God’s love and mercy for us that it is now possible to turn away the anger of the Lord. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us or our sins.” It is not our fault that Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and cursed the human race, but we are given the choice to believe in Jesus for the remission of sin and be made reconciled back to God. This free gift from God shows that He will not reprove us or scold us. His mercy is plenteous to those who call out to Him for forgiveness. He will not turn away a repented heart who cries out for mercy. He is loving and gracious.

God Hates Sin

Psalm 90:7,8
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled…Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
The image of God given to us here is a God of judgment. A God that hates sin. It is impossible to hide our sins from Him, the light of his presence reveals our sinfulness. This is the picture and perception that many people have of God. A God ready to strike us down as soon as we do something that misses the mark. It is true that God is Holy, and hates sin and is displeased with those who commit sinful acts of rebellion. But He is also a God of love and mercy. He sees our humanity, and our inclinations to satisfy self. It is because of His love that He sent Jesus to provide a way to save us from our sinful condition. We are all judgment bound and will stand before Him. We can stand before Him with clean hands and a pure heart if we have by faith accepted His love of grace and our sins have been covered by the blood of Christ. We can be judged guiltless because Jesus is standing in our place as our advocate.

Pleasant Words

Proverb 16:24

Pleasant words are as honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

There is little value in ever speaking harshly. Even when correctly a behavior of a child, speaking harshly without compassion can leave emotional scares that may never go away. It is sometimes necessary to speak firmly and with authority, but it should never be the intent to damage the spirit or demean someone. Anger can sometimes cause people to say things that they will regret later, that is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to check us before we speak. Are the words kind, are they true, and are they really necessary? The best way to diffuse a situation is speak positively and with a gracious attitude. Pleasant words will break the tension and allow others not to feel threatened. Speaking pleasant words is always in order. 

Let All Bitterness Be Put Away

Eph. 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

People normally become bitter and full of malice when they are treated wrongly. It is the natural reaction of the carnal nature. It is difficult to understand the behavior of other people. Those who seek to hurt others do so out of self preservation or selfish intent. Desiring to fulfill or satisfy a personal need. The carnal heart cares not who it hurts, only thinking of self and protecting one’s ego, even at the expense of doing wrong or hurting someone else. Bitterness, a sin that destroys the very fiber of one’s character can easily begin to fester in the heart toward one who has wronged us. We feel it is our right to be bitter, or angry. Having ill will toward someone who is treating you unfair or hateful is what is expected. To the natural man, this is how we deal with people who don’t care and are self centered. How is it possible to let all bitterness be put away? How can we keep from lashing back in anger and speaking back maliciously? It is only by the grace of God and a heart purified by faith by the Holy Spirit that this is made possible. Even as Christ forgave us, He gives us grace to forgive and love others. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Be Anger, and Sin Not

Eph. 4:31.32 “ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Becoming angry is seen as an out of control emotion. Normally when one becomes angry it is because someone else has inflected pain or has treated us wrongly or carelessly. Becoming angry can also happen when we see an injustice take place, someone is hurting or abusing someone else. Anger is a normal human emotion, but God’s word says to put away anger. In the work of holiness, or sanctification, God deals with us about our carnal anger that stirs within our heart when things don’t go our way, or when someone has treated us wrongly. The Holy Spirit removes carnal self from the throne of our life and put the love of God that constrains us to treat others with love and kindness. Not all anger is carnal, but we must always beware of the reasons we are angry and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in our actions and behavior. We can be anger at what sin does and how it destroys lives, but we must be careful to direct our anger toward the sin, and not the person, who God loves and desires to save and forgive. “Be angry, but sin not”

Stand Still

Ex 14: 13,14 “...Fear ye not. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today...The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”- 

The Israelites where very upset about their situation. Their anger toward Moses was caused by the fear that they would be left dead in the wilderness. Fear comes when we fail to put our trust in God. We look at the situation and question if God is able to take care of it. Doubt starts to filter into our thinking and we start to look to our own means and understanding to solve the problem. When a solution is not found, we despair and give up. Our faith is made ship wreck. But, the call from heaven is to fear not. Stand still and see what God can do. Quit trying to figure it all out, and let God take control of the problem. Stand still and watch God calm the storming sea in your life. He desires to give us peace in the time of storm and trouble waters. He does not expect us to fight this battle on our own, He will go before us and make the way. If we could only learn to stand still and have faith in the God of our salvation.