John 2:13-22

John 2:13-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It probably started innocently enough, and with good intentions.  Some people set up booths to sell animals for the sacrifice, trying to assist those who didn't have their own.  Then the money changers showed up, helping people pay the temple tax.  A few people probably did well, and then some others saw the business opportunity and followed them into the line of business, hoping they, too, could make some money.  It likely grew and grew and grew, until soon it had become a large commercial operation, maybe with little thought given to the reasons why or the original intention of it all.
  It happens to each of us, and it happens to all of us.  Things start small, and then they grow.  It's like telling a little lie to protect someone, and then suddenly it snowballs into something far bigger than it ever originally was.  Our hearts and our lives can become cluttered by things that have gotten bigger than we ever imagined -- we can become trapped, unable to see the original thought or goal.
  Jesus came to clear away anything that separated us from God.  Our hearts and lives can become so full that we can miss the single most important relationship in our lives.  May we pray for the courage to let God remove the barriers in our lives that separate us from pursuing God, and may we be willing to accept that it isn't always easy to let Jesus prune us so that we may continue to grow.