Your Priority Is

Good Morning Beloved,

Well the sun is shinning again today! Praise God! I hope you had a chance to read my last post
because this one will go along with it.. I hope. I would like today to express my thoughts on the book of Haggai ( Haggay) the name means in Hebrew " festal" so I looked that up and it means ;

FESTAL: feast or having the character of a feast or festival; gay, joyous.

I thought the name was important ( they usually tell us something we need to know)
Haggai was around about the same time as Zachariah and was encouraging the returned
exiles to rebuild the temple.. The efforts to rebuild the temple had been hindered and for 18 years they rebuild their own homes .. Haggai, however aroused the people to action to start on the temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel , the governor and Joshua, the high priest..
Haggai assures the people that if they would rebuild the temple they would prosper...
he points out that God has withdrawn his blessings because they are so concerned with themselves... Now does that sound familiar?
How many times have we put what we want or think ahead of what God wants. I know I am guilty of this many times.... we all are...
Haggai was a prophet and the Lord spoke to him....
1: 4 paraphrased : Is it time for you to be in your house and let the house of the Lord go to waste?
Now that says a lot to me....
Then we need to consider what to do and go about doing them..
1:5 paraphrased: you have sown much , reaped little, you don't have enough to drink or wear to keep warm, so what will it be? consider your ways..
He tells them to go and get the materials to build the temple and He ( the Lord) will take pleasure in it and be glorified.
What do we need to do to build our temple so the Lord will take pleasure in it and be glorified?
going on , it say you looked for much ( a harvest) but it came to little.. Why?
What do you think kept the harvest small? Can you apply that to your own temple? Are you going through a drought? What will ease that drought? Will you listen to what God is telling you?
1:12 paraphrased: so along with the governor and the high priest the remnant listened to and
obeyed the voice of the Lord.. not in part but wholly. They listened and obeyed. They reverently ( feared) and worshipfully turned to the Lord.
Are you doing the same? Are you willing to listen and obey all that the Lord wants you to do , in order to receive a blessing? These are not easy questions but they are questions we need to address in ourselves. I'm talking to myself too.... What is your priority?
So we see that the Lord aroused the spirit of the governor and the high priest and the people so
they came and labored on the house of the Lord... labored. Is is not going to be easy to do all this listening and obeying it will be work ( labor) but ........
2:1-9
Hope. Here is hope for the new temple. Maybe you used to be on fire for the Lord and lately
you have not.. Maybe you didn't know how to be on fire for the Lord... Well, now is your chance
to learn or to relearn how... Maybe you remember the good old days of glory but you can't live in the good old days ;you have to do it for today.. The Lord was with you in glory of old and He will be with you in glory now.
Be strong and alert and courageous, says the Lord..( paraphrased) to all the people. Fear not.
He going to shake things up in all the nations , so He can fill the house with His splendor, and give peace and prosperity .
Now who would not mind having peace and prosperity in their house? I know I would love it...
What do I have to do to get it? Listen and obey and labor. Now the question is am I willing to do this?
2:10-19
Promised blessings;
Have you been promised something and it didn't happen? Well that is what is being talked about in these verses. They didn't all turn to the Lord when bad things happened. He is now saying that you do what you are suppose to and I will bless you from now on. That is a promised blessing..
2:20-23
God's final triumph.
He is going to shake things up and He will destroy the things that are keeping you bound. Why?
Because he has chosen you ... He wants to be with you and he wanted it so badly that He sent
His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for you , so that you and He could be together.... . Thank you God for your son, Jesus Christ...
Now to me that says it all.... If I want to have Blessings I have to learn how to listen, obey, and labor in the Word of God.... I don't know about you but I am willing to listen and obey and labor for the blessings of the Lord .....
Remember to Smile, when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be...
In the love of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ... He loves you... so do I. your friend in Christ Jesus , billiemae God Bless your day..