READING:
One-year plan: Numbers 28-30, Mark 13:1-27
Two-year plan: Exodus 28, Matthew 23:12-24
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Maybe you’ve seen some impressive man-made structures around the world. I think today about the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, and the Egyptian pyramids. If you’ve seen any of these places, you might have some understanding of the awe of one of Jesus’ disciples as he looked at the Temple complex of that day. The grandeur of that structure caught his eye enough that he commented on it to Jesus.
Jesus’ response was a warning about coming judgment on the city: “Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down” (Mark 13:2). Indeed, the Romans would demolish the Temple in 70 A.D. The glory of the Temple in Jesus’ day would become the rubble of destruction within several decades of His pronouncement.
I’m reminded today that even the most glorious of man-made structures will not endure. Some have existed for centuries, but none is eternal. You and I may not be part of building such edifices, but we’re often guilty of building only the temporary ourselves. To focus all our efforts on building what is essentially fleeting—and thus neglecting the eternal God—is foolish indeed.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you ever get sidetracked by temporary stuff?
PRAYER: “God, show me when my eyes are on the temporary today.”
TOMORROW’S READING:
One-year plan: Numbers 31–32, Mark 13:28–14:21
Two-year plan: Exodus 29, Matthew 23:25–24:2