November Challenge: Day 2

This morning I woke up to rain and it was wonderful. Rain is without a doubt today's blessing. If you live in California than you understand exactly why rain is such a blessing. California has been in an awful drought for a few years now and our land is parched. Yes, we occasionally get rain, but we are not receiving nearly as much as we need. The entire state has had to ration water usage and our beautiful landscape has turned brown. This year even the smallest amount of rain has called me to sing God's praises, but today He blessed our land with lots of rain. All day it rained and quenched a thirsty land. 

California's drought reminds me of the spiritual drought many Christians face. We, as humans, have a tendency to believe that occasional participation or exposure to something makes us healthy. An occasional cleaning at the dentist guarantees our teeth are healthy or an occasional visit to the doctor means we won't become ill. This doesn't make it true, yet we convince ourselves that it is because this  "truth" makes us feel better. Christians sometimes have this same attitude toward spirituality. There is this belief that if you attend church weekly that you are spiritually healthy. Yet the truth is the occasional attending of a sermon, reading of scripture, or prayer does not make you spiritually healthy. Just like California needs a steady deliverance of rain, Christians need a continual exposure to those things which enrich their spiritual lives. We need the rain, we need the nourishment, to make and keep us healthy.

Today I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the power of prayer. I am thankful for God's word. I am thankful for the church. I am thankful for devotionals. The thirst of the land and my soul are being quenched and I am grateful. What are you thankful for today?

The Cursed Fig Tree

Continuing on our journey of the last week of Jesus' life in His human-form...

Jesus awoke in Bethany, having just had His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem the day before, and left to return to Jerusalem. On His way into the city, Jesus became hungry and seeing a fig tree in the distance He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached the tree, He found nothing except leaves because it was not the season for figs. Jesus then said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again," (Mark 11: 12-14). Jesus and His disciples continued onto Jerusalem. 

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts. The courts were filled with many people who were buying and selling there. When Jesus saw this, He began driving them out of the temple courts, He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. He then taught them, saying, "Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers," (Mark 11: 15-17). 

The chief priests and the other teachers of the law heard this and began to plot to kill Him. These people feared Him because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching. 

In the evening Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and returned to Bethany to spend the night. This is the end of day two.