the day of "wreckoning"
"The Lord has consumed without pity all the dwellings of Jacob; He has torn down in His anger the fortresses of Judah." —Lamentations 2:2
Jesus came to this earth "to destroy the devil's works" (1 Jn 3:8). Satan's works cannot stand next to those of God. Anything built on a foundation based on evil must first be overturned and destroyed. Therefore, Jesus' initial work must be that of a demolition crew. First, He needs to make a total wreck of the existing structure, if it is not founded on Him. Only then will He lay a new foundation and build His kingdom.
Jesus is zealous for His house (Jn 2:17). He is determined to build things the right way, and so He'll have to rip out and cut down an unstable foundation (see Lk 13:9). He clears the ground (Mt 3:10) completely and thoroughly. He will build His kingdom, and nothing will stand that opposes His work.
If anything in your life is opposed to God's kingdom, you don't have to wait for Jesus to "make a wreck" out of you. You can do some of the wrecking yourself to prepare the way of the Lord. Ask Jesus to show you what needs to go in your life. Then "clear Him a straight path" (Lk 3:4). Let's do the wrecking ourselves so that Jesus can spend His time doing the building.
Prayer: Father, do in me whatever You must in order to do through me whatever You will.
Promise: "He expelled the spirits by a simple command and cured all who were afflicted." —Mt 8:16
Praise: Cyril possessed human flaws of impatience and intolerance. Nevertheless, God used him to zealously defend the divinity of Jesus and uphold the title of Mary as 'Mother of God.'
Reference: (For related teaching, order our book, Living In Reality.) (This teaching was submitted by one of our editors.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, November 29, 1997
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 2, 1997