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Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation and then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, someone steps forward with help or answers to the questions which are holding you back?
Come with me, my friends, back to Jerusalem almost exactly 2500 years ago. Similar to today, tensions are very high in the city as we rejoin the situation. Let’s reset the scene: For about 20 years Jewish exiles, returned from Babylon, have been slowly clearing the rubble and rebuilding part of demolished Jerusalem. They had begun work on the Temple but been strongly opposed and that work was halted. (Ezra 4:24) For years the Temple mount sat idle, except for the daily morning and evening sacrifices on the rebuilt Altar for Burnt Offerings. (Ezra 3:6)
When is the last time you were so discouraged in your life it seemed like NOTHING was going well, no progress was being made, none of your best efforts were accomplishing anything worthwhile? That’s how it was in Jerusalem, at least on the Temple mount. But the truth is, the attention of the people had turned to survival and rebuilding their city, one building at a time.
Suddenly, it seems out of nowhere, two men man stood up declaring they have some messages from God for the discouraged people and their leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua. Ezra 5:1 says ‘Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet both prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel. Then Zerubbabel and Joshua set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.” So, who are these two guys Haggai and Zechariah? And how did they turn such despair and discouragement into positive momentum, which relaunched the work on the Temple after so many years?
Haggai is a short little two-chapter book near the end of your Old Testament. It’s fascinating. We presume it is the autobiographical record of what took place that dramatically changed Jerusalem in 520bc. Haggai begins by giving us the exact time it happened: “In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah and Joshua the high priest.” (Haggai 1:1) My research tells me this was August 29, of the year 520bc! We don’t really know anything more about this man named Haggai, so let’s just get into what his message from God was which stirred the people to action.
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house…Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:2,3) Ouch! God’s message through Haggai was a strike right to the heart, to the core of the matter. Oh, it’s true, these Jewish exiles had walked more than 700miles from their captivity in Babylon to these ruins of Jerusalem. And it’s true they naturally needed to build some shelter for their families and begin essential businesses like farms to feed themselves.
But they had been back now more than 20 years and most of the Temple ruins still lay untouched, while many of their homes were beautiful and businesses were flourishing. God was questioning their priorities and their abandonment of their mission to rebuild their Temple. Oh my, does this challenge us my friends?
When you and I look at our priorities for the use of our TIME or our TALENTS and abilities or the use of our TREASURE, meaning our resources of things we value… where does our worship of God and our accomplishment of God’s purposes in our world fall in our priorities?
Oh, these people in Jerusalem didn’t have to think very long about God’s question. So, God spoke again through Haggai: “Give careful thought to your ways. 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 purses with holes in them. Give careful thought to your ways…” (Haggai 1:5,6) It’s not difficult to understand what God is saying here, is it my friends?
Does life seem so frivolous sometimes? When you and I give careful thought to our ways, our priorities, our values, our pursuits, our endeavors, our relationships… what do we see? Here’s a very practical and contemporary way to ask the question: what is our return on the investment of our lifetime thus far? Pause. Pause and ponder that for a while.
What do you and I have to show for all the time we’ve lived thus far? All the education and effort and planning and investing of ourselves into our hopes and dreams. What if we had never been born? If we stood before God right now to explain what we’ve done of true value with the lifetime we have thus far lived, what would we each say? The more important question is what would God say? What did God have in His mind when He created you and me and as He has given us each hour, every day, what was His aspirations for us and how we would impact our world?
I think we need to pause with Haggai and the people of Jerusalem right here. No need to go any further. Oh yes God had more to say through Haggai and we’ll look at that tomorrow, but for today, I urge you to read it again. Haggai 1:2-6!
Ask God to help you see your lifetime as HE sees it. And then ask God about the time yet remaining in your life. Realistically how much more time do you think you have? 10 years? 40 years? Two weeks?
Psalm 139:16 says God knows the exact moment and situation in which your life and mine will end. So, what if God told you right now, exactly how much more time you have. Would that make any difference in how you and I are living our lives?
Oh, let’s reflect on that with this song, and I’ll meet you right back here tomorrow…
Today’s Scripture: Haggai 1:1-6.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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