Haggai the Prophet Part 1

     Haggai, for those of you who are new to the faith, was a prophet of God. God sent him on a three and a half month mission to get the Lord's people to rebuild His great Temple. The people Haggai had to minister to on his mission were so full of themselves that they let the real meaning of life fall behind them. Although most prophets spoke of how prayer, fasting, salvation, repentance, and other more "holy" sounding issues were important in our  relationship with God, Haggai spoke of an issue just as holy, though less mentioned. The issues of repairing or building our places of worship. It is just as important, though it may not seem so. God gives us the supplies to repair such problems as leaky roofs, loose floor boards, and squeaky doors. God has also provided so much more for us. So what is one thing we can do for Him? Honor Him and his place of worship. Sounds easy, right? Not for the people of Judah (or the people of today). They didn't (and most still don't) see the place of worship as a connection between our beliefs and the world around us, but that is exactly why it exists.
    
     The people of Judah were acceptioinally well off. Think of today's upper high class, mansion dwelling, feast eating celebrities, or the president and the white house. How well off would you think you would have to be to own a mansion and afford taxes, bills, food, entertainment, and insurance? That is how rich the Jews were in Judah. They spent all of their money on their houses, their food, and entertainment, but let the house of the Lord fall to pieces. They would say, "Yes, we will clean up the Temple...when the time is right." And what do you think God said through Haggai? Did He accept that answer? Did he say, "Okay, I'll wait patiently."? No, God's response was," How is it that it's the 'right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God's Temple, is in ruins?" (The Message; Haggai 1:3-4) He later says through Haggai for the Jews to look at their lives:
    
     a.) "You have planted much, but have harvested little." (NIV; Haggai 1:6)

     This meaning, you put effort into things other that the Temple, and you have little to prove that effort with. In the words of The Message, for better understanding, state, "You have spent a lot of money, but you haven't much to show for it." It's kind of like buying a notebook to write prayer requests in. But, let's say you spent $100 on this said notebook, then you let it sit there and never write your prayer requests in it. Or you buy a $60 Bible to study, but you never study it, never learn God's Word, never find that love you're missing, never find that Truth. You spend all that money on a Bible to make it easy for you to memorize scripture, yet you never open it up to harvest the fruits of the Lord.

     b.) "You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill." (NIV; Haggai 1:6)

     Meaning, you try to fill your hunger with food, delicacies, entertainment,. For some, porn, others, money, even more, friendships that don't last. You attempt to fill your spirits with alcohol, drugs, suicidal thoughts, maybe even acts such as murder or rape. The Message says it this way, "You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up, you keep drinking and drinking and drinking, but you're always thirsty." I take this as trying to become as busy as we can to fill the emptiness we may feel in our souls. The Truth is, God is the only thing that can fill those empty spaces in your spirit, in your heart, in your mind. He is the only thing that can quinch your thirst.

     c.) "You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages only to put them in a purse that has holes in it." (NIV; Haggai 1:6)

     I love the way The Message puts this, "You put on layer after layer of clothes, but you can't get warm. And the people who work for you, what are they getting out of it? Not much--a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that's what." God is our warmth in this world, physically and spiritually. He brings us the Summer, He calms us when we cry for Him, He brings us fire in teh Winter, He cares for us, even when noone else wants to. People may forsake (or abandon) us, but our Lord will never forsake us. The Bible states this many times, two of which are in Deuteronomy. The first in chapter 31, verse 6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." and second in chapter 31, verse 8, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Isn't it wonderful to have a God that cares so much about you? It is truely amazing.
    
     Although, now-a-days we can't exactly ALWAYS take this in such a literal manner,  by repairing and/or building the Temple ,we must think of it as renewing ourselves for God. Getting down and dirty and picking out the bad things we want to change about ourselves (even some of the things we don't think we need to change about ourselves and the way we live, breathe, or behave) to make room for Jesus. He gave His life and everything else for our sins, why can't we give up our time, money, effort, and sins to die to ourselves and live for Him? It shouldn't matter what others think of you, get out there and start living for God!

     Next time you are down in the dumps and try to fill the spaces of emptiness around your heart with shameful things, foods, drinks, or disloyal "friends", think about the love Christ has for you. God loves you so much that words could not describe it. No. No words could describe it, so He sent His one and ONLY son to die on the cross for our sins to be washed away, or forgiven, forever.

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (NIV; John 3:16)

     That means He loves you, everyone of you who is reading this. Even if you don't have a relationship with Him yet, He still loves you. But you have to ask Him into your heart. Ask Him, "Lord I come to you today to ask you to please come into my heart, Lord, please forgive my sins. Let me start over on a clean slate, let me fall in love with You. Today I will make a commmitment to You, Father, that I will begin to study your Word, that I will begin to share You with others and show everyone Your love. I ask these things in  Jesus' name. Amen."

Memory verse of the week is:

"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (NIV; Psalm 119:11)

Tape it up on your mirror in the bathroom, your bedroom, by a light switch, on your steering wheel. Place it somewhere where you will see it often. Every time you see it, read it aloud. You will then have a verse to use against the Devil when he tempts you. This verse will serve as a weapon toward Satan. Good luck! And God bless you! Oh and if you have ANY prayer requests, post a comment with them and I'll gladly pray for you. Or you can e-mail me at:

livin4christ0129@yahoo.com

God bless!