Sacred (Mark 11:15-17)

There are some things that God sees as sacred.  Sacred is something that is set apart as holy unto God.  The tabernacle was sacred as well as all of the items inside.  Samson because of his Nazarite vow was sacred.  The silver, gold, brass and iron of Jericho was consecrated or considered holy unto The Lord.  In this passage, it was the temple.  When The Lord arrived, it appeared that it was being used for every reason other than for what it was intended.  There may have been offerings there, but the actions were mechanical and heartless.  Greed, profit and the mundane ceremonial practices filled the place that was intended for heart communion with God.

There isn't any temple today and sacrifices are no longer needed.  So what is there that is holy to God.  As the temple and all other sanctified objects of the Old Testament were set apart unto The Lord, he wants our hearts set apart for him.  He wants our hearts to long for his presence and to occupy themselves with motives and desires that are holy.  The Lord admonishes us to keep his commandments (John 14:15).  The word keep in this passages carries the idea of guarding something.  The Lord wants us to guard our hearts so that only that which is pleasing to him will reside in it.  The Psalmist stated it this way, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer". 

We cannot accomplish this task on our own, but with the power of his spirit and the working of his grace, we can have a heart like this.  As you walk through life today, continually ask for God's grace to reveal that which you should shun and to direct your focus towards things that will motivate you to praise him.  We don't have much to give back to him, but we do have a heart and all of its desires that can be presented to him daily.