SCRIPTURE: Haggai 1
OBSERVATION:
For God’s special community, the temple was the most important symbol of their relationship with God and the world. After God brought them back from exile to Israel, they started working on the city walls and the temple, but soon got distracted by building bigger and nicer homes. Better harvests meant better profits meant better homes. Meanwhile their relationship with God, and their calling as His people (both symbolized by the temple) was forgotten. God gets their attention by holding back their harvest, and through Haggai’s message. The Spirit of God stirs the spirit of the leader and the people, and they get back to work on their most important project, restoring God’s place in the nation and the world.
APPLICATION:
Is my relationship with Jesus, and my role as His missionary, getting displaced by worldly interests? Do I invest more in my own comfort or in the work of the kingdom? Is the Lord trying to get my attention, to focus more on Him and His kingdom? Is He affecting my worldly affairs to get my attention? Is He sending messengers to challenge my priorities? Is He trying to stir my spirit?
God works through circumstances to remind us of what really matters. The death of a teen, the loss of a job, the failure of a dream, the breakdown of a relationship, etc. God does not maliciously cause suffering, but He does use the circumstances of a sinful world to get our attention, to call us back to Him and His priorities… what really matters. So the question for me at this time is, am I investing myself in what really matters?
PRAYER:
Lord, I sense that I need to invest more of myself into more of You and Your purpose. But something is holding me back (fear, love of comfort, laziness???). Whatever it is, stir my spirit to give myself fully to You!
In the reading, the people returned from the Captivity and started to rebuild their lives. They did not say that they would not rebuild the temple, but thought the rebuilding of the temple was not yet. The not yet was so they would have more time to rebuild their lives, their needs and their desires. God was not in first place.
The JOY principle tells me God is first, ALWAYS and I am last. That is difficult. Whose kingdom am I building today? God’s or my own? Whose interests am I serving today? God’s or my own? Whose will am I fulfilling today? God’s or my own?
Lord, You have taught me to pray, THY will be done. Help me this day to build Your kingdom and not my house that will not last. Help me to serve the needs of others and in that way be a builder of Your kingdom. Help me use Your gifts given to me for Kingdom service and not selfish desires.
I want to be a worker for the Lord,
I want to love and trust His holy Word,
I want to sing and pray,
Be busy every day
In the vineyard of the Lord.
Refrain
I will work, I will pray,
In the vineyard, in the vineyard of the Lord.
I will work, I will pray.
I will labor every day, in the vineyard of the Lord.
I want to be a worker every day,
I want to lead the erring in the way
That leads to Heav’n above,
Where all is peace and love,
In the vineyard of the Lord.
Refrain
I want to be a worker strong and brave,
I want to trust in Jesus’ pow’r to save;
All who will truly come
Shall find a happy home
In the vineyard of the Lord.
Refrain
I want to be a worker; help me, Lord,
To lead the lost and erring to Thy Word,
That points to joys on high
Where pleasures never die,
In the vineyard of the Lord.