Monday, April 2, 2012

Flipping Tables for Jesus



What does it mean to you to be bold?
(And I don't mean "control - B" to bold your words in an assignment or a document)

When you are bold...what does it feel like? What do you say? How do you act?

As Christians, we are called to be bold; to stand up against injustice; to fight for the rights of those less fortunate than ourselves; to speak the truth when everyone around us believes a lie.

Boldness in your everyday life can be a little scary - even intimidating. But being bold doesn't mean you are the loudest person in the room or that you are the bully/leader who forces people to do things your way. Being bold is about living a life in truth and for truth. Being bold is about aligning your words with your actions under the umbrella of God's grace and truth.

Jesus was bold.

Sometimes he was bold in a gentle way in his speech and touch...but there were times when he was extremely bold with his words and his actions:

 45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c]; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]

At the very beginning of what is now considered Holy Week, Jesus went into the temple and began flipping tables and driving merchants out of the courts with a whip. He was standing up against the status quo and standing against the injustice of reducing the temple to what was essentially a mini-mart.

At the time, people used the temple courts as a place to sell and buy what was needed for the ritual sacrifices to God. It was a place of convenience shopping when it should have been a place of mediation and sanctuary.

Jesus boldly went into a place of religion and pointed to the mistakes and missteps of the peoples interpretations of what was truly right and just in the eyes of God.

And, he flipped some tables for God.

Today, we face the constant struggle between fitting in and being bold. Standing up for what we believe as Christians can be difficult in a secular world constantly telling us what we hold true is intolerant.
But if we trust in the Holy Spirit and hold onto the Truth of Salvation through Christ we will know when God wants us to step out and be bold for Him.

So...where is God calling you to flip some tables?

Scripture

Quote of the Day

Put a grain of boldness into everything you do. 
~Baltasar Gracian

Question of the Day

Where is God calling you to be bold in your everyday life?



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