Hope For Today
Daily Encouragement for a Healing Heart from the Word of God
Deep pain and brokenness have a way of making Bible study difficult. To help bridge the gap and re-ignite our hunger for the Word of God, we’ve put together a daily devotional designed to help us all lean into God as we heal. May we seek Him daily!
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life. Psalms 143:8 (NIV)
- Hope For Today
August 7 - Haggai 1:4-10
"Why are you living in luxurious houses while My house lies in ruins? This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what's happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what's happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It's because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops."
Yes, this passage was a message brought by the prophet Haggai to the people of Israel more than 2,000 years ago concerning the physical temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. But, I think the warning stands today. The thing is, the temple of the Lord is no longer a building of wood and stone, it is the unified hearts of the family of God. But, do we really think the Lord is any less passionate about it? My question for us today is this: have we neglected the Lord's house? Do we spend our time chasing nice things for ourselves and our own homes while leaving the temple of our God in ruins? Do we find ourselves with an insatiable appetite for the trappings of this world? Are we always hungry for more, always thirsty and unsatisfied with what we already have? Do we find our money slipping through our fingers with little of any value to show for it? When will it end? Where is our passion for His body, His church, His home? Where is the urgency to seek unity? When will we take the time to cultivate an environment fit for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our own hearts? Why do we dare to ask for His blessing when hate and resentment and bitterness break away at the stones of our hearts, leaving our temples in crumbled down ruins? May we put a stop to it this very day! May we be resolved to "go up into the hills and bring down timber to rebuild His house!" That's going to look different for each of us. Some of us need to focus on our own hearts. Some of us need to rebuild relationships with His people. Some of us need to cultivate unity within the body. My guess is we all know where we stand. But, for those that might not, ask God for guidance. I am certain He will be quick to open your eyes according to His will. The Bible tells us that the Lord's passion for His house is great. As members of His family, may our hearts be set ablaze according to the desires of our Father's heart! Let's get to work rebuilding His temple.
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