March 3

Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Psalm 46:1-11, Proverbs 10:23

Pray: We usually come to worship to “get something”. That’s not wrong but often I feel we leave with not near the experience we could have if we came to worship to “give something” to God. So today, let's give God the praise and gratitude in our prayers that God deserves. Let's begin this way, then we can ask God whatever the desires of our heart might be. We can cry out to God but let's begin with honor and praise. “Our Father, Hallowed be your name….”

Read: The text today is filled with specifics. There is no interpretation needed when it comes to bringing in a tenth of our crops, or one tenth of our new flocks, and if we substitute the crops or the flocks we are to pay an additional 20%. In other words, the Lord wants the first fruits of our labor. This, of course, is what is meant in scripture by the tithe.

Edify: When God’s people bring a tenth of the crops or a tenth of the flocks as an offering, then God redeems the remaining portion of our flocks or produce. In other words, you can do more with 90% blessed by God than 100% cursed because you decided to hold it back from God instead of giving it to the Lord’s house. It’s a no brainer, is it not? You can always do more with 90% blessed.

Practice: Jesus enters the city in triumph, so it appears. This is a tremendous moment as it raises the temperature of who Jesus is before the religious leaders and others in Jerusalem. Is Jesus the Messiah? Is Jesus the one to follow? Jesus could live into the moment of praise and attention, but He gets right down to business when He sees the abuse happening in the Temple. People are being charged way too much money for the exchange rate, and instead of this being a house of prayer it has become a tool for others to make money off of pilgrims seeking God. Jesus is right, it is to be a house of prayer, not of performance, not of the multiple agendas of humankind, but a place which is listening to and talking to God in earnest prayer. Right where you are, you can make the place you are in, a house of prayer.