Thursday, December 20

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house.'"

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house."

This passage above (Haggai 1:2-9) provides an excellent synopsis of some moments in our relationship with God.  It challenges us to remember to exalt Him above all things and to prioritize serving and honoring Him instead of enriching ourselves.

Coming out of Egypt, Moses and Aaron presided over a movable Tabernacle, and the people saw God's majestic and awesome presence in a direct and clear way.  Later, the Ark of the Covenant traveled in the land, marking the seat of God's presence.  In his zeal for the Lord, David sought the opportunity to build God's temple, a permanent place of worship, but he learned from Nathan that his son Solomon would take that responsibility.

After the Exile, the temple needed rebuilding.  Encouragingly, the people hear this prophecy above and then respond:  "So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month."

While we cannot fathom all of God's ways, the testimony of Scripture and the saints shows that, without fail, putting God first in all things is the wisest commitment anyone can make.  There will be bumps in the road, but the road belongs to God.  As Peter counsels, we may cast our anxieties on Him, for He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)  God's faithfulness guarantees that we will never be forsaken or abandoned. (Hebrews 13:5)

More important than His provision, we also experience His presence.  Once constructed, the house of the Lord would represent the people's best opportunity to find true satisfaction:  interacting with their loving Father.  We can set up elaborate worldly means of finding satisfaction, but nothing compares to the greatness of knowing God.  He has formed us for relationship—with Him and with others.  Putting God first makes all these relationships more fruitful.

Lord God, thank You for Your presence.  We seek to honor You in our day by putting You first in our lives.  Help us to identify those areas into which we have failed to invite You.  Strengthen us to live this commitment daily into 2019.  Deepen our satisfaction in You and our longing for You above the short-lived pleasures of this world.  We love You and invite Your presence into every aspect of today.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

"Knowing You, Jesus":  https://youtu.be/pTTlSx6zXio