September 19 – Haggai 1 & 2

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Haggai 1 & 2. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When Ezra leads a team back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple they face a wave of opposition and stop their work. For years the Temple remains and unfinished construction site. To us in the Cincinnati area this reminds me of the unfinished tower at Kenwood Mall. God uses a prophet named Haggai to preach a message that would spur the work to begin again. Read again God’s argument … “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4 NLT) What an awesome argument for God to give.

So how does that apply to our lives today since God no longer resides in a Temple made of wood and stone? Today God lives in a Temple made of flesh and bone. When Christ died on the cross God left the physical temple in Jerusalem. On the day or Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who encountered a life saving relationship with Jesus God took up residence in His new Temple, the heart of man. So how does His Temple look today? Does His Temple look good and flashy on the outside, but on the inside the heart is torn up, rotting away, close to crumbling any day? Are we guilty of the same accusation that God waged against Ezra and His contemporaries?

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Haggai also taught me a second lesson today. God reminds the people that He is in charge. He reminds the people that they thought they would have a good harvest, but in reality things were not as bountiful as they had hoped and thought. God gives the reason that this was the case … “I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the LORD.” (Haggai 2:17 NLT) Sometimes the negative we face in life is God’s hand at work. Sometimes God works to break us so that the only place we can turn is to Him. When we see negative in life, are we watching to see what it is God may be trying to do in us and through us? 

August 9 – Jeremiah 7-9

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Jeremiah 7-9. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

One of the things I absolutely about the Bible are the clear points it makes. There are times that the Bible can be confusing, but those typically are on things that are not life or death. The Bible is very clear that sin separates us from God and that God loves us so much Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Today in our reading we found some very clear and common sense questions from God given through Jeremiah. “When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?” (Jeremiah 8:4-5 NLT) This is common sense questions God is asking of His people. There is no confusion that can be found in these words.

So let me ask you the same questions. When you realize you are on the wrong road, why do you not turn back? When you realize that you have wronged someone, why do you not apologize? When you realize you have hurt someone why do you not make amends? When you realize you have not served enough, why do you not step up your game and serve more? When you realize you have let someone down, why do you not fix what you missed and then go even further? When you realized you have sinned against God, why do you not repent and confess before God your sins?

I think our world would be a little better if we did the harder thing and picked ourselves up after we fall, turning back from the destructive path we have found ourselves on.