S – John 2:16 – And (Jesus) told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
O – Jesus wanted the people to remove anything that was being traded for profit from the place where people worshiped. He made the clear statement “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
A – As a leader in a place of worship, I have to be careful to separate anything from the worship experience that is or could be seen as something done for financial gain.
P – Lord, help me to keep worship of You pure in my heart and at PCBC. May I never seek to profit from worship personally. It is all about Your glory and Your promotion.
samholm.com 
Sam I do understand what you are saying “BUT” I do want to personally benefit from worship, yes I want my worship to praise and glorify the Lord and also fill me with His presence. So to that end I am benefiting from worship.
Great point Ann! We do benefit in worship!!! “God is most glorified in us when we are must satisfied in Him.” – John Piper. I am seeking to separate any financial gain from worship. God desires for us to benefit in a much greater way!
Thank you Ann. Excellent observation and clarification.
Your daily commitment to God’s Word and your sharing how the Holy Spirit uses His revealed Truth to impact your life is a continual encouragement and blessing to me. Your gift, Dying to Preach by Steve Smith, is ministering to me at a deep level. I’m very grateful for your thoughtfulness in bringing that teaching into my life. God brought me to tears this morning as I read a section on the cross in the pulpit. I am undone by God’s continuing desire to feed me and reveal more of Himself to one such as I. May the Lord bless you and keep you today! I love you.
Dad, thanks for your prayers, your words and and your encouragement. I pray that I will learn to seek the Lord like you do.
Where are you in the book. I ordered my copy, but I have not yet started to read it.
Great stuff, Sam. The verse that hit me was 2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Jesus could have used any water, or made the wine appear from thin air for that matter. But he uses water used for purification. Could He be saying, “You don’t need this anymore. I’m here. I’ll take care of the purifying”?
Tim, awesome thoughts! I have never thought about this. Yes, I think Jesus could be subtly saying that he is the one who will be purifying from now on. An awesome challenge for the religious people at the wedding.
I’m excited to continue to hear what you see Tim. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! It also occurred to me that this cleansing water is changed to wine (the very best wine, no less!), which Christ will later use to symbolize His blood–the ultimate purifier. Christ knew all along where he was headed. Here, with His first miracle, He’s showing everyone else.
Great observation Tim. Again, something I had never thought of. Christ is the best wine / purifying water. I like it.