As I begin the day, I am bathed in the gentle presence of the Holy. This came during my devotion time this morning, in which I stepped through a portal into the Word. I wasn’t just reading it; I was invited to observe as well—seeing and wondering, praising and surrendering. And now here I am, lost in the midst of Holy’s presence. I am in wonder and awe, the peace resting on me, a peace so real that nothing else comes near.

Moments like this are to be cherished more than the finest gold. Moments like this will never vanish from our spirit and heart. They are YHVH’s way of saying, “I see you. I love you. I believe in you.” And that leaves me with a big question: How can I then not believe in myself?

His grace is sufficient. That is all we need to know, no matter what life brings. His grace, once received, is all we need.

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Is life any more complicated than this?

Before you move on, take a moment with Psalm 86:11. Pray it slowly. Let it shape your steps today.

Shalom

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I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1,2 (ESV)

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to him and perfect. Romans 12:1,2 (J.B. Phillips)

Paul's exhortation is that we not allow ourselves to be squeezed into the world's own "mould," but instead allow God to "re-make" us so that our entire mindset is changed. That from the J.B. Phillips translation.

Molding something is the act of changing a malleable material into a different shape. If that does not describe us in the middle of today's world then I don't know what does. Everywhere we look we see ourselves being squeezed by changing cultural norms, rejection of old standards and truths, and never-ending pressure to conform or become an outcast. But outcast from what, and how does one resist all this pressure to conform?

The question puts a spotlight on our conundrum. The world and God both want to re-make us into their image. We must choose between the two. The world offers a hidden path as its morals, truths, and ways constantly change. Yesterday's correctness is made vile tomorrow by never-ending compromise until Truth is an elusive and invisible concept that we talk about but do not understand or submit to. We can never know what the next truth, normal, or politically correct will be, never know when what we believed we could build our life upon will be swept away in a new purge.

God's Way vs. the World's Way

The world offers its constant din of chaos, conflict, compromise, greed, lust, and hatred. God offers something different: Never changing Truth that we can stand on, live by, depend upon, and rejoice in, a path that we can see and follow to the end with confidence.1 God offers holiness, righteousness, eternal bliss and the heart of a grateful Creator.

How Will You Choose?

The holiness and righteousness we seek are inside of us in the choices we make. Through them we decide the practice of our lives. They dictate the forces that will re-make our attitude of heart and mind such that we are transformed into a new image, either the world’s or God’s.

There are so many ways that our mindsets need to be changed, healed, and re-made - so many areas of life that this scripture speaks to and challenges. We think of ourselves as godly believers who have a few issues. God sees us as a work in progress, people who struggle with the world while loving Him. The two are incompatible and from that comes the tension in our life, the tension between the world and God.

Pause in silence and solitude and listen as God asks: How will you choose today?

Shalom

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To whom have you told [new] words? Whose breath has gone out from you? Will the dead spirits, who are underneath the water, be stirred, or those who dwell there? (Job 26:4,5 Artscroll Stone Edition Tanach)

Job’s retort after Bilad’s third speech (in which he belittles Job) shames Bilad for his lack of understanding and wisdom. Certainly, Bilad’s words cannot be God’s, for neither the living nor the dead are stirred by Bilad’s wisdom. In essence, Job is telling Bilad that he is unqualified to judge because he lacks the wisdom and surrendered relationship with God to do so. He speaks from the heart of man, not as from God.

The lesson for us today is the same. Man’s wisdom is folly in God’s eyes and lacks the authority needed to change what is wrong with our condition. The power is in God’s breath, not our own. What He says sets creation in motion, what we say is carried away by the winds. The difference is in the spirit that blows the breath, ours or God’s. When we are in intimate relationship with God such that His desires, intents, thoughts, and words are our own, then our breath carries His intent into creation.

Breathing is about creating. It is our breath that ushers forth our heart’s desires, intents, and hidden thoughts as words, establishing them in this realm and giving them form. Will that form stand? That is the question. If issued from man’s soul and with his wisdom the answer must eventually always be no. If issued from God’s realm and through His breath as uttered through His faithful servants, then the answer must always eventually be yes.

In a larger sense this begs the question, do you breathe to live or live to breathe? If you simply breathe to live, then your breath is bound by the years of your life and what it establishes will return to dust as you do. Living to breathe, living to create through the power of God’s breath breathed by man, however, establishes His Kingdom on earth and is thus eternal. That is the job description of the believer, to establish Heaven on earth. So …

Whose breath are you breathing?

Father God, I want the kind of relationship with You that allows my heart to know what Your heart desires. I want to think Your thoughts and speak Your words as I am in relationship with Your creation, including the people in my life and others whom I encounter. Show me, Father, what I carry in my desires and beliefs that is not of You, so that I may discard them freely and be filled by what You carry in Your heart. Teach me how to breathe Your heart’s desire into creation.

Shalom

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In today's world, everyone wants to be at the top of the click count pyramid. Subscribe! Like! Share! Sometimes, personal exposure seems a universal obsession. Hiddenness is vastly undervalued. Hiddenness is antithetical to today's play-to-the-world culture. But hiddenness has always been a secret weapon of the wise.

Hiddenness is A Choice

At the king's command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.  1 Kings 5:17 (ESV)

When Solomon was anointed king he was, by his own admission,1 young, inexperienced, and faced with a monumental charge: build the temple that will house the very presence of God. Even at this early stage, however, he exhibits the wisdom and insight he would become famous for. Honoring David's diligence in preparation,2 he begins the building project by quarrying “great, costly stones” for the foundation. These large and costly stones were then “dressed,” meaning they were finely shaped and finished before being buried to form the Temple’s foundation.

Because they would never be seen, most people would have provided an adequate foundation without deploying the extra effort and cost to finely shape and dress the stones. Not Solomon. He knew that the foundation would establish the strength and character of the Temple. If the foundation was imperfect then, even though unseen, it would make the Temple imperfect.

His decision was not made on counsel of others but with private deliberation in the hidden place of his heart where he chose to honor God with the finest, even though it would be unseen, because even if no one else would know, he would know, and God would know. His interest and intent were to honor God as he saw his responsibility. It is good to seek wise counsel. Even when we do, however, the choice to accept it and act are our own. As king, Solomon understood that there are times and issues when we must take our own counsel, guided by God's direction.

We do not think of Solomon as someone who was hidden. He was the richest, wisest, most famous and most powerful person in the world. Yet, he understood the principle of hiddenness, that things must be done right even when no one sees, because taking shortcuts undercuts our foundation and puts everything else at peril. In the matter of the Temple's foundation, Solomon exercised a personal and holy choice, a behavior that Peter would later counsel.

Holiness is In Our Hidden Choices

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (ESV)

As great as he was, Solomon was not perfect. Like the rest of us, his life was the sum of his choices. Like his father, he had great failures.3 In his later years, he faced his past and spoke of the folly of his unholy choices.4

As with David and Solomon, the wisdom or folly of what we decide in our heart will be revealed. And who among us can claim to be perfect? Not I, and I am betting you will have to say the same. Why, then, does God say to those like us who are imperfect, "be holy, for I am holy?"

He is commanding us that regardless of what precedes it, each hidden decision that we make in our hearts and the actions we take as a result are choices to either walk in His path of perfection or to chart our own imperfect, sinful, arrogant, and doomed path. His command is intended to steer us to right choices because they are the way to holiness. Each choice we make, holy or unholy, is a choice to follow God or not follow Him.

Holiness is in our choices.

Verse thirteen tells us how to choose wisely. Prepare our minds, take serious things seriously, point ourselves toward God, not the world. We were once ruled by our passions. Now saved, our passion is to be a sweet incense before God, a pleasing aroma as He considers us. Instead of playing to the world, we are to play to the audience of one.

Our choices should bring a smile to God's face.

Father God, I have made some awful choices in my life, but I made one really good one - to love, honor, and serve You. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, as a trade for my sin. Help me to remember, even in the midst of hurry, stress, and temptation, that my choices matter and that You are with me even when the right choice is the hard one. Remind me that You are my strength and provision, and that You are always faithful. Let Your presence, wisdom, and might be hidden inside my heart, and let them be my compass. Show me, Father, how to be holy as You are holy. Amen

Shalom

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The first half of Mark gives us a clear image of Jesus's claim of Kingship over all the earth and everything that is in it. He not only demonstrates His claim, but we see its confirmation.

Jesus, Lord of the Prophetic

And when they were getting near Jerusalem, Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olivet, He sends two of His disciples on a mission, and says to them, Be going off into the village opposite you, and immediately upon proceeding into it, you will find a colt securely tied, upon which not even one man ever sat. Loose it at once and be bringing it. And if anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? say, The Lord is having need of it and forthwith will send it here again. And they went off and found a colt tied securely to a door outside in the open street, and they loose it. And certain of those who were standing there went to saying to them, What are you doing, loosing the colt? And they spoke to them even as Jesus had said. And they gave them permission. (v1-6, Wuest)

Jesus sees the future in both the natural and supernatural realms, seeing the colt tied at the stand and into the hearts of men. In this, He shows us that He sees all things and knows all things. This is not a unique occurrence, not a one-off that we might dismiss. He did the same with the woman at the well (John 4:16-18) and in many other circumstances. These events qualify Jesus as a prophetic one to be sure, but not necessarily as the Messiah, the one to whom all creation must bow. His prophetic vision of future events and the condition of man's heart is a down-payment on the whole of who He is.

Jesus, Lord of Humility and Strength

And many spread their garments into the road, and others, soft foliage, having cut it out of the countryside. And those who went before and those who followed kept on crying out, Hosanna, praised be He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Praised be the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest. (vv. 8-10, Wuest)

Once the colt is brought to Jesus, the disciples and others placed their garments on the colt's back, and many placed foliage and palm fronds on the pathway before him. In this manner He made His entry into Jerusalem, being hailed as a king. But it is not a kingly scene through the eyes of the world. The entry is on a humble colt and worn clothes and foliage do not pass as symbols of position or honor. Those who sing His praises are not the high and lofty but the everyday man and woman, those who recognize His truth and who believe in Him despite the religious and legal establishment's rejection.

Jesus, Lord of the Temple

And He entered Jerusalem and the temple. And after He had given all things a comprehensive inspection, it being already the evening hour, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.  (v 11, Wuest)

Upon entering the city, Jesus goes straight to the temple even though the hour is late. He is there to inspect it, to make sure it is prepared and worthy of His presence. This is a kingly act. Only a ruler, one with authority over the matter, would do such a thing and He does it thoroughly. The inspection is not a cursory one, it is "comprehensive," meaning that He gave great attention to every detail. He inspects, He sees, and He judges the condition of the temple because it is His domain.

Jesus, Lord of Creation

And the next day, they having come out of and away from Bethany, He became hungry. And having seen a fig tree a long way off having leaves, He came, assuming that He would find something on it. And having come to it, He found not even one thing, except leaves. For it was not the season of figs. And answering, He said to it, Hereafter forever, from you no one eats fruit. And His disciples were listening.  (vv 12-14, Wuest)

Jesus knows that it is not the season for the tree to bear fruit, but comes to it expecting fruit to be there, nevertheless. Why? Because he expects that it, a part of His very own creation, would recognize its master and maker and serve Him in the way it had been created to serve. He expects His creation to fulfill its function and purpose. When it doesn't, He judges it.

Jesus, Lord of His Disciples

When Yeshua cursed the fig tree, His disciples were listening (v. 14). The word used in the KJV is "heard" (G191), which relates to Hebrew words that mean to contemplate, dissect, discern, learn, pull out, and to bear witness. We are to be His disciples in our day, not only in how we relate with Him personally but also in how we relate to the world around us as His ambassadors. We are to function in this station through faith, discernment, and righteous witness.

It is a lofty, joyous, serious, and heavy station we are called to. Think of it: we are ambassadors with the position's complete complement of duties, responsibilities, and authority - all in service to the King of Glory. The King. The only King. We have reason to be proud, reason to be careful that our pride does not become haughtiness, and reason to be humble. We serve the King through His power and our own humility.

Jesus, Lord of Us

Jesus knows us. He knows our past, sees our potential and our future. He sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. Prophetic? He is beyond prophetic. He knows.

That includes His temple, us. He chooses to live and breathe in us and through us so that we may have our life, breath, and being in Him. His temple is to be clean. He inspects our lives, our dreams, our failures, our successes, and our faith every instant of every day. There is nothing that can be concealed. The beauty of this is that it sets us free to honor, love, and serve Him with joyous abandonment of the world. We need not be worried about its reaction to us because ... we serve the King!

Jesus, Lord of Our Life

Serving Him is our glory. Knowing Him, knowing His desires, His needs, and His calling upon our life is the fruit of intimate relationship, loving the One who loved us first. His heart's desire is for our glory to become real in the way we serve and honor Him.

It is a marvelous thing, this life. It looks so mundane as I go through the days, weeks, months, and years; yet it is precious beyond description. There is so much to regret that I am aware of but which is now unseeable by God, thanks to His great love and Jesus’ great obedience.

This life is the furthest thing from mundane imaginable. It is glorious, victorious, full of blessing and richness. And it is free. All I had to give for it is everything, and He took it all.

Shalom

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How long, O HASHEM, will I cry out and You not hear me; how long will I cry out to You regarding injustice and You not save? Why do You allow me to see iniquity and You look at evil deeds, with robbery and injustice before me, while the one who carries strife and contention still remains? That is why the Torah is weakened and justice never emerges. Since the wicked surround the righteous, therefore justice emerges distorted. Habakkuk 1:2-41

Habakkuk's opening cry to God could well be coming from our lips today. His basic question of God is, why? Why do You allow what is happening today? Why do you allow the distortion of justice and morality that surrounds us?

We can relate

Habakkuk describes our condition today, indeed man's condition throughout the ages. Yet, today's condition seems extreme. Not simply, I believe, because we are living it in the moment but because it is extreme. God's answer to Habakkuk was to observe and see what He was establishing against the evil of the nation as judgment for its apostasy. Man's justice may become perverted, God's never is. It is justified and just when it comes.

God offers hope for the righteous

In 2:4-19, God shares a vision of Nebuchadnezzar on the rise. It portends a harsh, violent, and desolate experience for the oppressed nations he will subdue. It will not be a pleasant experience for those Nebuchadnezzar conquers, but in the very beginning of this passage God tells us what to do and why we are to have hope in such times:

In this, God is saying that although hard times abound and worse is coming, the righteous will be sustained through endurance and perseverance, which are proof of their faith in action.

God does not promise us a free pass when life's circumstances, trials, and hard times come. He does promise us His faithful provision of everything we need to endure and persevere as we live lives that honor, elevate, and edify Him.

Habakkuk's response

Habakkuk ends his prayerful response to God (3:18-19) with a declaration of allegiance:

Our choice

God is our shield, defender, protector, provider, strength, healer, and comforter. His faithfulness in all things is sure proof of our faith, regardless of what swirls around us. Our choice is to choose to live as captives in a lost world, struggling to overcome through our own power, or to live in His perfect peace and provision.

Choose peace and exult in the God of your salvation.

Shalom

We know that Solomon built the Temple, and we've heard all about his wealth and wisdom. He accomplished marvelous things indeed, but David's preparation before Solomon became king enabled the building of the Temple and established David's legacy as not only a shepherd, warrior, and king, but as a humble servant as well, and it established the foundation of Solomon's legacy.

David was not demoralized by God's rejection of his plan

"Hear me, my brothers and my people! I had in in my heart to build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of HASHEM, as a footstool for our God, and I prepared to build. But God said to me, 'You shall not build a Temple for My Name, because you are a man of wars and have shed blood.” 1 Chronicles 28:2-31

People of high position have a way of getting their way and I am certain David was no exception. In this case, however, he exhibited humility and a measure of the wisdom for which Solomon would become so renowned. Most would have taken God's rejection as a slight and put their dreams for the project aside, possibly hoping for a different answer at a different time. Not David. He shifted from his kingly role of exercising power to the servant's role of enabling the work of the one who would follow him. Humility and wisdom set David on a course to establish not only his own legacy, but his son's as well.

David commissioned Solomon with sound advice

"And you, my son Solomon: Know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing soul, for HASHEM searches all hearts, and discerns every product of one's thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let Himself be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever. See now that HASHEM has chosen you to erect a building for the Holiness; be strong, and act." 1 Chronicles 28:9-10

David's life experiences taught him that it is what is in our hearts that God cares most about. From the heart's desires spring our thoughts, words, and actions. His admonition to Solomon is wisdom for us today, to order and live our lives such that HASHEM, God of all Creation, will make Himself available to us and bless our endeavors. Finally, he tells Solomon to be strong and to act, for David knows that the best plans are meaningless without determination and action.

In all of this, David speaks with the credibility of his life: the way he honored Saul when he could have killed him and claimed the throne, the power of his relationship with Jonathan, his valor and leadership in battle, his love for God and desire to build the Temple, the way he overcame tribulation through dependence upon and surrender to God. All of these and more define his character and are the foundation of his legacy. Though imperfect with human failings, there was good reason for God to say that he was a man after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14). When David spoke, the nation listened because of his legacy.

David the architect, planner, and organizer

David then gave to his son Solomon the plans for the Hall and it structures, storage rooms, upper chambers, and inner rooms, and for the Chamber of the Ark-Cover, and the plans for all that he had with him by Divine inspiration (1 Chronicles 28:11)

As we read on from the start of this passage, we learn that David not only developed the plans for what Solomon was to build, but also planned for and designated the division of labor for those who would serve God in the Temple. He provisioned building materials for the project, including the gold and silver needed to fulfill requirements for the structure and its many appurtenances. He knew the details of the details because he was intimately involved with them, including the Temple's design, provisioning, and administration. In doing this he was acting as a partner with Solomon in the realization of the desire in his own heart. He was a partner not only in the project, but in the building of Solomon's legacy.

David's prayer for Solomon

"HASHEM, God of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, preserve this forever to be the product of the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and set their hearts toward You! Also grant to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, to carry out everything and to build the palace for which I have prepared." 1 Chronicles 29:18-19

Legacies are built on many things. The quality of our lives depends largely upon our own choices and actions, but we are not alone. In Solomon's case, David's legacy was a steppingstone to his own. I can imagine that through the years and trials of all that Solomon experienced, his father's prayer for him offered wisdom and encouragement. He had the advantage of a dedicated and disciplined father, one who humbled himself to prepare and provide for the one who would follow after him. David understood the power of legacy and activated it for Solomon's life.

And our legacy?

Each one of us, for better or worse, carries within us the legacy of those who have gone before us. Some are fortunate in this, some are not. Regardless of the legacy that is passed down to us, however, it is our own choices and actions that determine the legacy we will pass on to those who come after us. We have the power to establish a new legacy.

David's example is a model we can follow. The world measures legacy by our accomplishments, the size of our bank account, the car we drive, the vacations we take, and a million other meaningless metrics. God measures our legacy by what is in our hearts and the courage we activate to walk out what He puts there. It is a humbling thought to think about what God thinks of one's legacy, especially if we have not followed His lead.

And then we remember David, the king who failed God so profoundly but who also loved Him, honored Him, served Him, and humbled himself to serve even his own son.

God called him a man after His own heart. There is hope in that for all of us.

Shalom

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Birds of prey descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. Genesis 15:11 (Tanach)

Abram has trusted in HASHEM (v6) for the promise of offspring and for the land, for which HASHEM has "reckoned it to him as righteousness." Abram then asks HASHEM how he can be assured and know that he will indeed inherit the land, to which he receives a command instead of an answer: "Take to Me three heifers, three goats, three rams, a turtledove, and a young dove." (v9) In issuing the command, HASHEM offers a covenant that will seal His promise. Abram does as commanded, dividing the hoofed animals and arraying them before HASHEM for His pleasure.

Enter the birds of prey (one can imagine ravenous black ravens) intent upon stealing and devouring what was intended for HASHEM and Abram, robbing both of the blessing of the sacrifice and their union in the future. Note that it is Abram who intervenes to drive away the evil interlopers, not HASHEM. Abram intervenes, not God Himself. That is our lesson for today.

Evil will not always appear in our lives as ravenous ravens, but it is always ravenous despite its outward appearance. We are tempted by all kinds of lusts, for food, position, fame, power, riches, and sexual immorality of all manner. As believers, however, our life is to be a living sacrifice to the One who redeemed us, the One who sacrificed His Son for our sake. That is how much He loves us, and that is how much His Son, Jesus, loves us. One sacrificed His beloved; the beloved willingly paid the price. We understand that well. Yet, we must face the world daily, choose daily, and act daily. We have been purchased with the Blood of the Perfect Lamb and are not our own. God expects us to follow Abram's example, protecting the covenant and promise of the sacrifice. He expects us to drive away the ravens of our lives, and He is clear about His expectation.

"I am El Shaddai; walk before Me and be perfect." Genesis 17:1 (Tanach)

Shalom

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The last three weeks have been an exhausting sprint. I've been consumed by a number of projects, each with its own urgency, and travel which necessitated two roundtrips in one week. My exhaustion was real, to the point I had trouble sleeping which only added to the difficulty. The interesting thing is that I wasn't alone. When the men's group I am in on Wednesday evenings met this last week, we were all in the same place - worn out. Our pre-session talk revolved around how tired and exhausted we were.

Finally, we got into the purpose of the evening and to our surprise, our condition was on God's heart. He ministered to us, sharing His rest and peace, those which reside in His very nature. We spent nearly two hours in His presence, soaking in everything He had for us, both experiencing and gaining a level of understanding of His rest. After all, the hardest thing He has ever done, He has done from a position of complete rest. Our time was as if we had been dipped in an elixir of all-consuming peace. Yet, we knew at its end that the next day and its challenges were waiting for us just a few hours away.

Except it wasn't. It is Sunday morning as I write this and the days since our session have been quiet, peaceful, and restful. It is as if I have been set free in an oasis of peace, tranquility, and rest. There has been no worry, no stress, no hurry, no striving. Only rest. This is not a coincidence. It is instead evidence of God's faithfulness to His Word.

Exodus 33:14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Psalm 23:1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Psalm 116:7  Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 

Isaiah 14:3a  When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve 

Jeremiah 31:26  At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me

Ezekiel 34:15  "I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down," declares the Lord GOD. 

Mat 11:28-30  "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

Yeshua knows our trials and He is a faithful shepherd, even to the point of ministering to us through His presence and peace when we need it.

How wonderful it is to be in His care.

Shalom

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As I looked at today's devotional reading plan, I felt a pull to read just these two chapters. I checked in with the Spirit. Was this just me being lazy? Shouldn't I suck it up and stay on task and read the full plan for the day? No, the Spirit seemed to say to me. "This is what I have for you today." I am glad I listened to the Spirit's prompt.

I was immediately struck by the relevance of these two chapters to my life and our nation's life, to all nations, actually. The parallels work on many levels, but these two stand out to me. Why? Because they are a call to the restoration of God's dwelling place, His temple that is in each of us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), and there is a sense of urgency in His call.

The Setting

The time and setting of Haggai's word is Jerusalem in 520 B.C., after the Israelites returned from Babylon (538 B.C.). The temple foundation had been laid soon after their return, then work stopped and complacency set in. So, they've been there a while but work on the temple has languished. God uses this complacency and their resulting condition to do some serious teaching, to them and to us today.

God Points Out Our Complacency

Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. (1:4-6a)

God is pointing out that His people have become lazy and more concerned with their precarious position than fulfilling their call. It wasn't easy for the returnees. They were surrounded by adversaries and life was a struggle on every level. But they had taken their eyes off of God as their provider and focused them instead on their own abilities and capacities. As usual, God had more to say, an instruction to their benefit.

God Calls Us Back to the Work of Restoration

Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 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. (1:7-9)

I spent a large portion of my life consumed with my own house, the things I strove to achieve, the things I coveted and lusted after. These were not all bad things, but when I put them ahead of God, they became idols. As God told the Israelites to put His house in order, He tells us the same today, as individuals, as His church, and as nations. We have devoted ourselves to our own desires, our goals, our plans, and our ways, forgetting that our only security and profit are found in His glory. When we honor Him, however, He will naturally honor us. Why? Because His pleasure is found in our love for Him that motivates us to build up and honor His temple that is in us. This is relationship. Not just knowing about Him but being in true relationship with Him. Relationship is everything.

How do we know we are in relationship? One sign is that we put the other person's desires ahead of our own, doing the work needed to see them fulfilled without an attitude of sacrifice or drudgery, but with joy that blesses us and them.

We have work to do, as people, as a church, as a society, and as nations. "Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD." It is up to us to honor and glorify God out of the love of our hearts, not out of duty but because it is the desire of our hearts to please Him. His call to action to the ancients is a call to us today as well. As distant from Him as they were, all too many of us are today. It is time we, individually and collectively, go up the hill, gather the wood, and build.

The People Respond

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, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. (1:12)

It is for leaders to lead. Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, and Joshua, the high priest, were leaders of the people. Even at a time when they were demoralized and languishing, the people followed their leaders. Together, they responded to God's admonition with urgency and fear. They understood who was calling them to action. They understood the implications of disobedience, and they understood that only their return to His heart in willful obedience could restore the only relationship that mattered.

The Only Relationship That Matters

Do we understand? Sometimes today it seems the better question is: Do we care? Here's the thing: we give our answer every day with our decisions on how we live our lives and what we choose to honor. We are all leaders. We are leaders of our own lives and our families; some are leaders in business and some in government. If we are leaders then by definition there are others who look to us for inspiration, guidance, direction, values, integrity, and faith. My questions to all of us: What are those who look to you seeing? If they follow your lead, where will they end up?

God Will Help Us

"I am with you, declares the LORD." And 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 hight priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, (1:13b-14)

When God is with us nothing can stand against us. Today, this statement is often derided as simple, out of touch, unrealistic, or as a farce. All of that cannot change the fact that it is true. The issue is not that God turned away from us but that we turned from Him. The cause of the lack of God's blessing on lives and nations is not that He is weak but that we have turned our backs on Him. We have ignored the relationship. Even many churches are focused on knowledge instead of intimacy. We know a lot about God, but do we really know Him as our friend, confidant, and only source?

The Problem

God is not the problem, we are. We care more about the lusts of our hearts, our false narratives that allow us to be comfortable in our sin and deception, and the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake than we do about understanding and pursuing God's desire for intimacy with us. God honors holiness, righteousness, judgement, justice, mercy, grace, love, faith, and humility. Does that sound like us today? The good news is that it doesn't have to remain this way. We can change.

The Answer

"Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not." (2:3-5)

I am not suggesting that God must or will return America or any other nation to its former glory. He might or might not. That is a matter of His providence, not of our ability. Our call is to return to His ways and to His heart. When we do, God will be faithful in His response.

On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts. (2:23) 

Israel's disobedience and wanton disregard for His ways caused God to symbolically remove the signet ring of David, signifying His rejection of the evil that inflamed Israel's passions and ruled its society (Jeremiah 22:24-27). God's promise here, however, can be taken as assurance to individuals, families, and nations that He is waiting to restore our relationship with Him. When we are faithful, He will make us like a signet ring that He wears to honor our faithfulness and the relationship He shares with us.

It is time to reject our complacency and neglect of God that fills our lives and world. It is time to turn back into God's heart and rediscover His passion for us. It is time for the restoration of the only relationship that matters. The Creator, God, and Redeemer of all that is has chosen to live in the believer. We are His temple.

What condition is your temple in, and what restoration is He calling you to?

Shalom

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A new year begins with a new reading of God's Word. I debated taking a different tack, but decided reading the Bible through in a year again is the best. In 2021, I tried a personal study option, and the outcome wasn't so good, as I ended up feeling distanced from any form of intimacy with God. One advantage of a daily reading plan, and it is a big one, is that it requires consistency. As in all things, consistency builds intimacy, and that is what I pursue.

There are many different options when one considers reading the complete Bible in a year. I used the same plan in 2019 and 2020. It includes both OT and NT readings each day. I had previously read from front to back, which I did not find as engaging. Last year, I read a chronological plan, which obviously reserved the entire NT for the end of the year. This year, I chose a plan that is thematic in nature. It mixes the two testaments in consistent fashion, albeit in different order than the 2019/2020 plan.

Along with selecting a reading plan, one must decide which version of the Word to read from. I do not think it possible to list all the versions of the Bible that are available, as they seem to multiply logarithmically daily. Well, that is an exaggeration, but I think you get my point. My personal favorites are:

• ESV Study Bible

• Stone Edition, Artscroll English Tanach

• The NKJV Amplified Bible (Classic)

• The Passion Bible (NT+Psa, Pro)

• The New Testament, An Expanded Translation - Kenneth S. Wuest

This year, I am returning to the Stone Edition, The Artscroll English Tanach for OT readings, and the Wuest translation for NT readings. I love the Tanach for three reasons: it is a translation of the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts, so it is unfiltered by non-Hebraic translations and governmental incursions over the millennia (Constantine, King James, etc.). Because of this purity and its closeness to Hebrew culture, it reads as a living experience, not a retelling of ancient history. This is further enhanced by the rabbinic notes, which help interpret words, thoughts, and concepts in a similarly intimate to the original way. To illustrate:

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:6-10 (ESV)

God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between water and water." So God made the firmament and separated between the waters that were beneath the firmament and the waters that were above the firmament. And it was so. God called to the firmament: "Heaven." And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

God said, "Let the waters beneath the heaven be gathered into one area, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called to the dry land: "Earth," and to the gathering of waters He called: "Seas." And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:6-10 (Tanach)

The Wuest translation of the New Testament was recommended by a friend about three years ago and has been a favorite since. The word "Expanded" is part of the title, so one is not surprised that it is longer in form. An example:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Ephesians 1: 3-4 (ESV)

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be eulogized, the One who conferred benefactions upon us in the sphere of every spiritual blessing in the heavelyly places in Christ, even as He selected us out for himself in Him before the foundations of the universe were laid, to be holy ones and without blemish before His searching, penetrating gaze; Ephesians 1:3-4 (Wuest)

My normal practice when reading the Bible through in a year is to double up on daily readings, to accommodate days when I can't read for one reason or another. This usually results in me finishing about six weeks before the end of the year, allowing for a short break, a concentrated study on a book or topic, or both.

The first year I decided to attempt the one year read, it seemed like an insurmountable mountain at first. In truth, there was almost a sense of dread at the very thought of the effort it would take. How false those feelings were! Reading God's Word is not a task, trial, or drudgery; it is a joy and encounter with His heart.

And that is my New Year's wish for each of you: that you will encounter God's heart, love, and purpose for you throughout what He has wonderfully knitted together for you, just you.

Shalom

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