Be Strong!

“Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.” – Haggai 2:4-6 NLT

God knows us so well. He knows how easily we get defeated and demoralized by the slightest thing. Setbacks and disappointments leave us questioning God’s faithfulness and wondering if this thing called the Christian life is worth it after all. God knew that those who had returned to the land of Israel to rebuild the Temple were struggling with their assignment because the Temple they were building was nothing like the one that had been destroyed. It was just a shadow of its former glory. God knows what they are thinking. He says, “Does anyone remember this house – this Temple – in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing to you at all!” (Haggai 2:3 NLT). God understood that the people were having a hard time getting excited about building something that didn’t seem to have much significance. They were putting a whole lot of effort into a task that was beginning to seem futile and fruitless. They were comparing and losing heart. So God tells them, “Be strong!” Once again, God reminds them to not judge what He is doing based on what they can see. The significance of the Temple was not about the building they were constructing, but about the God who would occupy it. He tells them, “I will fill this place with glory” and “the future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory” (Haggai 2:8-9 NLT). The point is that it is the God who fills the Temple who gives it glory and signficance. There were going to be other Temples. This Temple would be replaced by Herod’s Temple. That Temple has been destroyed and it will be replaced by the Temple to be built in the Millennial Kingdom. It was NOT the building, but God that was important. They had missed the point and had begun to see the structure as more important than their God.

How easy it is for us to focus on the task at hand, even a good, decent spiritual task, and lose sight of the one for whom we are working. God is and always will be the focus. He is the one who gives what we do significance. Paul reminds us, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT). Our entire lives are to be focused on one thing and one thing only: God’s glory.

Father, never let me get my eyes of off You and begin to think that what I do for You is the important thing. Never let ministry take precedence over You. Never let Bible study become more important than You. Never let me think that living the Christian life is somehow more important than You. Nothing has value without You, including my life. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Spiritual Atrophy.

“This is what the Lord of Heavens Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.'” – Haggai 1:2 NLT

The rebuilding of the Temple had begun in 538 B.C. with the return of the exiles from Babylon. But due to opposition from the people who had moved into the land while the people of God were away, the Temple had never been completed. Fifteen years had gone by with no work taking place. The people had become apathetic to the project and spiritual apathy had set in. They had started out well, but had somehow lost their momentum. Other things occupied their minds. They had a different set of priorities other than completing the assignment God had given them. It’s clear to see from the passage that they were busy planting crops, vineyards, building houses, and making a living. But because they had let these things take the place of God’s call on their lives, all their efforts were proving fruitless and in vain. “You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!” (Haggai 1:6 NLT). The picture is one of futility and frustration. They were working their tails off, but getting nowhere. Their attempt to make their own agenda a higher priority than God’s was not working out too well. God clearly tells them that He is the one behind their less-than-perfect circumstances. He wants to know why they can leave His house unfinished while they busy themselves with building find houses for themselves. They were learning the painful, but valuable lesson that a life of self-centeredness does not produce satisfaction.

But God reminds them that He is with them. His presence has not left them. Part of their spiritual apathy was because they had faced opposition as soon as they arrived on the scene. Things had not been easy. Doing the will of God never is easy. It is difficult and requires diligence and determination. When things get tough we are tempted to take our eyes off of God and focus on our circumstances. We lose our focus. We get distracted. We decide there are other things that are more important than that which God has called us to. But God wants us to know that He is with us and still expects us to do our part. “I am with you, says the Lord!” (Haggai 1:13 NLT). There was no reason to fear the opposition. But there was also no excuse for them to set new priorities and make their own plans more important than God. He still expected them to do what He had sent them their to do. Paul reminds us of this very same thing. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). God saved us, not so that we could spend our time building houses, careers, portfolios, or our reputations. He has work for us to do — work associated with His Kingdom purposes. He has left us here for a purpose. Are we doing it? Or are we suffering from the same spiritual apathy and atrophy as the people of God in Haggai’s day? Self-centeredness still does not produce satisfaction. Let’s remember that the Lord is with us, and get busy about His business.

Father, it is so easy to get distracted by all that is going on around me. I can lose sight of why I am here and begin to think that life on this planet is all about me and what I want. But You saved me for a purpose. You redeemed me and made Your own so that I might accomplish Your will, not mine. We have work to do. Help us keep our eyes focused on You and Your will, not our own. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org