FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Scripture: John 2:13-17

In the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in John 2:13-17, He does something really quite unusual. It is so opposite of “turn-the-other-cheek” that it has to be noted. Everything that Jesus did was love. He was God’s love in action. We know that from 1 John. All His actions are manifestations of love. A manifestation of love from Matthew has been given privileged status over the manifestation of love in John 2. This has created a false image of the love of God in the church. Primarily because of the misemphasis, the church thinks of the love of God as always “turning-the-other-cheek.” But the core of the matter is, the love of God confronts injustice, dishonesty and perversion almost every time it comes in contact with it. Jesus took the time to weave three cords into a whip and once He had completed the whip, He started to use it! He actually should have been jailed for destruction of property. But He was not. I suspect He was not, because almost everyone knew the money-changers were crooks. Jesus did not “turn-the-other-cheek” in the temple! Where there was dishonesty, stealing, manipulation and the spirit of mammon, Jesus confronted it, rebuked it, whipped it, overturned it and kicked it out. That dimension of the love of God is the one we are looking at this month. Jesus afflicted the money-changers. He overturned their world. I suspect there is another move of the Spirit coming with a wave of affliction that will overturn some money-changers. But it will only come if the church can catch it! If we can perceive what God is saying and if we can embrace the full measure of who God is in the five different manifestations of His love, then we can participate with Him in bringing to pass what He has prophesied for the last days. Those who are filled with evil may very well deserve supernatural affliction!