Monthly Archives: March 2023

Abiding, Battles, Bible, Foundation, Scripture, Shaken, Trust

SHAKE IT UP

HAGGAI 2:6

“For this is what the LORD of armies says: ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.’”

When I was a little boy, a new cooking product called “Shake and Bake” came out. It was a seasoned bread crumb coating originally marketed to mimic the flavor and texture of Southern fried chicken. It was introduced in 1965 by General Foods. I have got to tell you, it did NOT mimic Southern fried chicken. My mama’s fried chicken was the best. She tried that new product, but quickly went back to her recipe.

Now, how does that story tie in with our verse today? There is only One who can truly shake the heavens and the earth. Others may try to “shake things up,” but only God has that power. This shaking wasn’t about a physical shaking by earthquakes or volcanoes. This was a shaking of all that existed so that the shaken things would be dissolved and only what was solid would remain. Only what was of God was firm and unshaken. That was the message to the people. Get grounded. Stay firmly planted.

APPLICATION

I vividly remember a video I took of a woman in Liberia shaking off the chaff from the rice she had just pounded to break it up. She poured the pounded rice into a shallow wicker tray and would shake it and toss it into the air. The wind would blow away the husks and only the rice grain would remain. It was fascinating to watch.

That is the image I want you to see today as you read this verse. What are you – the rice or the husk? Will the winds of discontent blow you away? In Matthew 7 we are told the story of the two houses that were built on sand and a firm foundation. When the winds came in the storm, one house remained – the one built on a solid foundation.

How firm is your foundation? Shakings occur in our life. There are times when it seems everything around us will fall. But if we remain firmly rooted in Him, we can weather any storm. Dig deep. Pour a firm foundation. And when the shakings come, trust in Him. Only He can get you through.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

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Abiding, Bible, Holy Spirit, Scripture

MY SPIRIT REMAINS WITH YOU

HAGGAI 2:5

“‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit remains in your midst; do not fear!’”

The Spirit of God is a real Person, the third Person of the Trinity. Many of us in the West don’t put much emphasis on the Spirit. We downplay any movement of the Spirit that does not fit into our little man-made box. We think we need to control every aspect of our spiritual life. We certainly can’t afford to be labeled as “one of them.” You know who I am talking about. Well, let’s see what happens to the people Haggai is prophesying to.

God continues His message through Haggai in verse 5 of chapter 2. This verse could be a whole sermon series. It is not a long verse, but it so full of images of God’s movement in their lives. Promises, the exodus, His Spirit, in their midst and no fear. Wow! But look again. God says so clearly, “My Spirit remains in your midst.” That must have been so encouraging to them at this time. God is still there. They may not see Him, but He is.

APPLICATION

Listen up! God’s Spirit is still moving in the lives of His children. Unlike the children of Israel who only experienced God’s spirit during a special indwelling, we get to have Him living inside of us. He comes in at salvation and never leaves, until we move on to our heavenly reward. So, God’s admonition to us is the same as it was to the Israelites. Keep reading.

God finishes this statement by saying, “do not fear!” He is telling us the same thing – Do Not Fear! Why should we fear His workings in our life? Why should we fear the Spirit moving in ways we are not accustomed? When we surrender more and more of our flesh to the Spirit, the Spirit can reveal more and more of Himself through us.

Galatians 6:7-8 says, “7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” So, it is really our choice. Which do you want? Destruction or eternal life?

I am thankful I have surrendered my flesh to Your Spirit, O God. Eternity with You is my reward.

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Battles, Bible, Courage, Encouragement, Labor, Mentoring, Modeling, Scripture

TAKE COURAGE

HAGGAI 2:4

“‘But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the LORD of armies.”

We all need encouragement from time to time. We all need people in our lives who can do that. I am so blessed that I have several people who serve in that role. There are a few, trusted friends who will come alongside me come thick or thin. They will tell me to take courage and keep fighting. I don’t get down very often, but when I do, I know I can turn to them for comfort.

Haggai pens these words of the Lord and tells Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people to take courage. He uses that phrase three times. But look at the end of the verse. He adds, “and work.” Similar words are used two other places. David tells his son, Solomon, these same words twice in 1 Chronicles.

1 Chronicles 28:10 reads, “‘Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.’” Verse 20 says, “Then David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.’” 

APPLICATION

God will give us the courage to act. Courage demands action. What is the purpose of courage unless we are stepping up to a challenge? Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to act in the face of fear. If the Lord has given us the courage we asked for, then we need to step out in faith and believe He will continue to encourage us in the process.

The people of Israel probably needed constant encouragement as they repaired the temple. It is hard to see results when you are working on it day by day. I love to see before and after pictures of projects. What you don’t see is the daily grind. That daily grind requires someone to say, “Take courage and work.”

There are many times I have the privilege to tell someone to take courage. I may not use those exact words, but that is the message. Encouragement comes in all forms. How has God gifted you to show that to someone? Ask the Lord today if there is someone in your life who needs to hear those words – take courage and work.

Be strong and take courage. Do not fear or be dismayed.

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Bible, Church, Reverence, Scripture, Worship

NO COMPARISON

HAGGAI 2:3

“‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?’”

The problem with comparing things is there is always something that is bigger and better. My family has lived in several homes. Each of them had their strengths and well…their weaknesses. We have never been about buying bigger and better. It was more about just meeting our needs. Most of these houses were provided to us as part of my job, so we really could not complain. But there is always that lure of something better, right?

The Israelites were mixed in their emotions about this newly renovated temple. Some of the older people had seen the original temple built by Solomon in all its glory, everything overlaid with gold. Fifty-nine years after its destruction, here they were, looking at an “inferior” temple – or so they thought. They were comparing the old and the new. Why? Because they had their own idea of what the temple should look like, not what it was – the house of God.

APPLICATION

Don’t be harsh with them. Their perception was their reality. We are the same, aren’t we? I have heard too many people complain about the color of the carpet in church. Others don’t like the chairs. The pews were holier. The stained glass windows are replaced. How dare they do that! And I haven’t even mentioned the lighting or the sound system.

You see, we also compare our image of what we think church should look like. Don’t get me wrong. I like the stained glass and pews. I prefer a well-lit service and a lower decibel of sound. But it is not about that. We are in God’s house. We don’t go to church to worship a building. We go to church to worship the occupant.

I have probably ruffled some feathers with this post. If I have offended you, I apologize. That was not my intention. I did intend, however, to get you to think. What are you comparing? What is your reason for doing that? God’s house is God’s house, whether it is a tarp with plastic chairs or a cathedral. It’s what happens inside that counts. Next Sunday, go to worship. Don’t just go to church. There’s a big difference.

Father, I worship You, no matter the setting. Help me keep my eyes looking up, not around at my surroundings.

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Bible, Commands, Glory, God's Will, Hearing, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Witnessing

JUST GOD’S WORDS

HAGGAI 2:2

 “‘Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,’”

There’s a game I used to play a lot with children. You line the kids up and then give the first one in the line a message to pass down the line. The message should be clear but perhaps a little challenging. Let the children pass it down the line very quietly so only the person they are talking to can hear it. The only rule is they can only tell it once to the person they are passing it to. At the end of the line the last child will say what they heard out loud. Normally, the last message is nothing like the one you told the first child. The game is called Rumors.

Haggai is not playing a game with the Israelites. God isn’t whispering in his ear and asking him to pass it along to see how wrong they can get it. No! God speaks clearly. His words are precise. He is giving Haggai a message to deliver to His people. Why? Well, we will see that in the coming days. Come back to this blog site and watch how God’s message can bring peace and comfort.

APPLICATION

When God speaks, we must share. His message to us is never meant just for us. Now, it may be a very personal message. But God wants His words known to the world. You may ask How do I know that it is God speaking to me? Simple. Does the message glorify Him? Does it agree with Scripture. You can be assured that any message you get from the devil will do neither.

What is the message God has given you? What! You haven’t heard from Him? Are you listening? You can’t hear God unless you have your ears tuned in to hear His voice. God normally isn’t going to shout it to you in claps of thunder. His message will come to you as you study His Word or meditate on a passage. Perhaps in the quietness of your prayer time He will speak.

Once you hear the message, though, tell everyone. They may think you are a little “off,” but that is okay. Tell them how God loves them. Tell them how they can experience that love. Tell them they have a Savior in Christ. You see, God is still proclaiming that message. We have work that needs to be done. Let’s go.

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.

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Affection, Bible, Bitterness, Brokenness, Comfort, Despair, Encouragement, God's Will, Healing, Kindness, Love, Scripture

A NEW MESSAGE

HAGGAI 2:1

“On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,”

Have you ever tried to encourage someone who was intent on feeling sorry for themselves? It is difficult to get them to see beyond themselves. All they see is what they don’t have, who has hurt them or how unfortunate they are. All the coaxing in the world will not get them out of their funk. Sometimes, you just have to be like Job’s friends who showed up and just sat with him (Job 2:13).

In the second chapter of Haggai, he is going to deliver a message of encouragement to the people. The date he mentions, the 21st day of the seventh month, happens to be the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles when Israel is supposed to be dwelling in structures outside and praising God for all He has done for them. It was the time to gather in the harvest and celebrate it. For the Israelites, however, they were discouraged due to the lack of the harvest and no temple in which to celebrate. Haggai has his work cut out for him.

APPLICATION

So, how do you encourage someone? Well, all I know to do is to point them to Jesus. We do have instructions in His Word. I am thinking of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

You see, it’s not our words that do anything. We just have to be present and show His comfort. His comfort is always perfect. We can’t force this on anyone, but we can be there when the time is right. Just as Haggai was given a message from God to deliver to the people, He will give us the words to say at just the right time. He promises that.

I am thankful that God can use me like that. One of the greatest opportunities of ministry for me has been to comfort friends and family in the loss of loved ones. I have been there. I have lost both my parents, a child and a brother. I have grieved with my wife in the loss of her parents. Just be there. You don’t have to go with a prepared speech. Let the Spirit guide you in the words He has for you. You have a message for them. It’s one of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Father of compassion and God of all comfort, comfort those around me who are in need of mercy right now.

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Born, Decisions, Following, God's Will, Obedience, Salvation, Scripture

KNOW THE DAY

HAGGAI 1:15

“on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.”

You are probably saying, Carl, what in the world can you get out of this verse? Let me start by saying that there are a couple of dates that are important to me. My birthdate is important – November 18. My wedding date – December 7. My children’s birthdates – June 11 and December 12. And most importantly, my spiritual birthdate – July 31, 1977. I remember those dates. I have them marked on my calendar.

For some reason, the Lord inspired Haggai to mark down this date of the 24th day of the 6th month. Why? I think he wanted us to realize something. If you look back at Haggai 1:1, you will see Haggai delivered God’s message on the first day of the sixth month. Now we are on the 24th day. Why did it take them 23 days to obey God’s command? Hmmm? Over three weeks had elapsed. But when they did obey, Haggai marked it down. Finally! Let’s celebrate this day.

APPLICATION

Okay, before you judge the Israelites for waiting three weeks to obey, let me ask you something. How long have you been waiting to obey something the Lord has clearly told you to do? We all do that. We hear the Lord speak through His Word or in our prayer time or in a message we hear at church. We know God is speaking, and we still put off obeying. Yes, we have all done that. The Israelites mulled this decision over in their minds for three weeks.

Let me ask you another question. What dates in your life have you marked as milestones? What dates impacted your life? They might be dates that I mentioned earlier – birthdates, marriage dates, maybe even the date someone died. Whatever the dates you have down, ask the Lord how you should remember them. Ask the Lord to show you the importance in His eyes. He sees time differently than we do.

It is so important to remember that. God sees the past, present and future all at once. Time has no meaning to Him. He is eternal, and He sees things eternally. What we think is an important date may mean nothing eternally. There is one date that is still unknown but it the most important date – the date of His Son’s return. That date is only known to the Father. One day that date will occur. Are you ready for it?

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Glory, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Praise, Scripture, Worship

A STIRRED UP SPIRIT

HAGGAI 1:14

“So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of armies, their God,”

There has been a stirring of the Spirit in the past month at some colleges and universities, which started at Asbury College in Kentucky. What began as a regular chapel service grew into a movement of God with literally thousands from around the country coming to experience this non-stop service. Some people have questioned what was happening there. That is not our right. God will reveal whether this was real or not. The stirring of the Spirit is not for us to question.

Finally, the spirit of the people is stirred by the Lord here in Haggai 1:14. Notice that this began with the leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua. Then the people were stirred. And this stirring of their spirit resulted in putting their feet into action. They began to work on the temple, God’s house, the LORD of armies. They didn’t just sit around and enjoy the stirring. They obeyed God’s call to action. Glory!

APPLICATION

I truly believe the reason God’s work has not been accomplished sooner is because our leaders have not been receptive of God’s stirring. The event that is described in today’s verse is also mentioned in Ezra 1:5. “Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.”

It is important to mention that no one should try to accomplish what they think God wants until He stirs their heart to do so. But our leaders have to be ready and able to hear God’s voice. This is only through prayer and time in His Word. So much ministry is done without the first thought of what God wants. Good can get in the way of what is best if we are not careful.

I know in my own life I could stay very busy doing “stuff” for God. There is no end to the lists I could make to keep my calendar full. I have to ask the Lord each day what He would have me do. It is not about what I want to do. It is all about what He would have me do. How about you? Check out your motives for ministry. Make sure you have heard God and let Him stir your spirit with His Spirit.

Please stir my heart
Take me back to the fire
And bring to me recollections of joy
And renew my first desire

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/s/saragroveslyrics/stirmyheartlyrics.html

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Abiding, Bible, Faithfulness, Promises, Salvation, Scripture

I AM WITH YOU

HAGGAI 1:13

“Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people, saying, ‘“I am with you,” declares the LORD.’”

There is nothing quite like having close friends or allies who you can depend on. I am fortunate to say that I have some whom I call at 3 a.m., and they would come running. They are true friends who have my back. They are not only friends. They are also brothers and sisters in Christ. That common bond links us together not just here but for eternity.

Oh wow! Look at today’s verse. Knowing God was with them must have cheered their hearts. They had felt so alone for so long. Now God was saying to them “I am with you.” Did you catch that phrase? “I am – with you.” Who is with them? I AM is with them. The same I AM who was with Moses when he was told to go to Pharoah and demand the release of His people. That I AM was now declaring He was with them.

APPLICATION

There are so many verses that back up this thought of God being with us. How about Psalm 23:4? “When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” Or how about Matthew 28:20. “‘Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’” We could cite dozens of verses that remind us of God’s promise to be with us.

Probably the greatest reminder, however, is Immanuel. God with us. He chose to come in the form a baby to die for us. His whole earthly life was lived for that purpose. He lived so He could die. That doesn’t make sense to us, does it? I mean, who does that? No one, except a loving God. He gave it all for us.

So, if God is with us like He declared through Haggai, why are we depressed? Why are we forlorn? Why are we seeking for other things to bring us joy? God is with us! We should be shouting that from every mountain top. God is with us! Rejoice! God is with us! Praise His name! GOD IS WITH US!!!!

O Lord, my God, You are with me in the darkest hours and You are with me in my greatest joy. I praise Your holy name.

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Bible, Majesty, Reverence, Scripture, Worship

SHOWING REVERENCE

HAGGAI 1:12

“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD.”

You know, as a child the idea of showing reverence is a foreign concept. Do you bow down to someone or something? Are you a slave to them? Just what does it mean? Kids have no clue, but neither do adults, really. We think we do, but we don’t show it. Speaking in King James English does not make you reverent.

The governor, the high priest and the remnant of people finally obeyed the Lord, which led to repentance and the show of reverence. The Hebrew word for “reverence” means to fear or be afraid, to fear. In fact, one translation reads “put in fearful reverence.” After all God’s judgment, they were now ready to show Him reverence.

APPLICATION

I do not think any of us know how to truly show God the reverence that is due Him. We try but fall short. Listen to how Proverbs 1:7a uses this word. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” That’s pretty good, isn’t it? As believers, our fear of the Lord isn’t a scary thing. It is a reverent thing. We acknowledge Who He is and who we are not.

Next Sunday, when you go to church (you are going, right?), walk into your place of worship with a new attitude – an attitude of reverence. You don’t have to crawl in with your head bowed, but you should walk in knowing that you are going to be entering into a time of worship. Prepare your heart before you arrive. Confess your sins and be prepared to enter the throne room of heaven.

Reverence! Awe! We get to behold the King. We get to come before the Creator of the universe. We are called His children (read 1 John 1:12). We have the right to worship. And we worship with reverence. We worship with appreciation for all He has done for us. I think that is exactly what the people of Israel were feeling in Haggai 1:12.

We bow down. We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.

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