The whip of Christ
“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”(NIV) Mark 11:15-17
I am always amazed and constantly falling in love with this Jesus I see in the temple. And as much as I rejoice at the scene, I am also cautioned of what might happen if I neglect the work that Christ has done in my temple (my body). Whenever we give ourselves to baptism, God cleanse our hearts and conscience of all evil (Hebrews 10:22, 1 Peter 3:21).
The whip of Christ during this time of baptism is similar to the knocking down of the tables and chairs of the temple above. Any one that truly allows Christ’ whip in his / her heart has knocked down any love of money and useless chattering that normally occur in life similar to this market settings. Christ makes the true believer’s heart a place of prayer.
Imagine that after all this work is done in our lives, we behave like the pig and go back to the mad we have been washed from. Fortunately for us, God assures us of the constant blood of Christ which forgives and renews our hearts daily when we seek his forgiveness. So if grace abound, should we continue to sin? Certainly not!!! (Romans 6:1-2)
His grace is enough for us, but a time is coming and now is the time that we need to make a final decision on where we stand with Christ. The whip of Christ is at hand, it has been raised. This time, it will not be used to clean the temples or the hearts, but to separate the just from the unjust. Heaven is real! And we ought to be sure that when the whip of Christ strikes again, we will be separated to His side and not against Him, for it is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31)
If you have not given your life to Christ, be sure to do so now, whiles the whip is up before it’s too late when it strikes. For all believers, lets stand firm and hold on to the faith we confess in Christ in its entirety without wavering.
To God be the glory now and forevermore, Amen!