Take A Stand

Take A Stand “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:15 The scripture above describes the scene where Jesus cleansed the Temple which was being desecrated by evil. I have often thought about the kind of personality that Jesus must have had. We can see that He could become angry from the scripture above. We can also see that He was very compassionate, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” Luke 19:41. Jesus evidently was not afraid to show His emotions and feelings, as we can find instances such as this above, where He displayed both anger and compassion. He was enthusiastic when He saw a demonstration of faith, and He wept when He saw unbelief. The disciples were affected by the personality of Jesus, as they saw Him express His pleasure and displeasure first hand, and they changed the course of history by following His lead. I believe that we can learn much from the personality of Jesus. We need to be bold in expressing our opinions as He was. When things are not right we need to take a firm stand, just as Jesus did when He cleansed the temple, but we also need to be compassionate and understanding in other situations. Just as the personality of Jesus set the tone for His disciples, our personalities can set the tone for the people we come into contact with. We do not need to hide our feelings and emotions, but express them when we see things that are wrong, and also show compassion, love and understanding at the good things. We can be such an influence for good all around us, when we take a stand and not be afraid to express our feelings and opinions. We need to not be afraid to let others know about the things that matter in our lives. My Daily Devotional Volume III May 22 Robert William Brock, Jr.