You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Haggai 1:9 – Some historical context is key to understanding what’s happening here. Babylon overtook Judah, sent away God’s people to exile, and completely destroyed everything in Jerusalem including the temple. After 70 years of exile, Persia takes over Babylon and kindly sends God’s people back to Jerusalem so they could rebuild. While the people had gone home to Jerusalem and rebuilt their own homes, we learn that 18 years after being sent back to Jerusalem the temple was still not finished. Started yes, but after a couple years of work they stopped and it was sitting as an unfinished construction site for well over a decade because the people were making excuses for not doing the work. What we see in our passage is the Lord’s attitude towards such apathy toward the rebuild of His temple. The people were suffering loss and finding no fulfillment in their work because they had prioritized their desires over God’s desires. As believers today, we too can fall into the trap of setting aside God’s work to do our work instead. We can give all sorts of excuses like “we’re just so busy,” or, “it just too much to ask of us.” And yes, doing the Lord’s work is going to interfere with your calendar and what He asks of us is a lot, but He is worth every bit of it. Prioritize today the things and works of the Lord over even your own desires. His house, His ways, His work, and His plan is what ought to matter the most to us as His followers. Make that true of your story today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2954
Question To Ponder: What might “building the house of the Lord” look like for us today?
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