November 18th, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Don't Make Excuses

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Opening Prayer

Loving Lord, I need Your help to understand why I make excuses rather than obey You. Show me how to do what is right.

Read Haggai 2:1-9

[1] on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: [2] “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, [3] ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? [4] But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. [5] ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ [6] “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. [7] I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. [8] ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. [9] ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

”We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty” (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, 35–100). That gets a bit close to home!

Think Further

 

Just a cheap imitation? The Lord commands the Zerubbabel, the chief political leader, and Joshua, the chief spiritual leader, before turning to the people. His reasoning is that they will be strong and work if they remember that he is with them. There is one problem that had stopped the work and might continue to prevent it from starting. It is fear of their adversaries, who were probably watching on the next hill with bows and arrows aimed at them. But this not the fear that the Lord addresses here. Rather, it is fear that this Temple would be substandard compared to the first Temple that the Babylonians had destroyed. The leaders and people feared that the Temple would not be as ornate with precious metals as the first one was (3).
God’s solution? The Creator of heaven and earth reminded the leaders and people that all of the world’s gold and silver belonged to him (8). Do not fear! The Lord said, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (9).
This passage leaves us wondering, what haven’t we done for the Lord because we could not, in our minds, do it perfectly? The Lord asked Moses to speak to Israel ad Pharaoh but Moses questioned the Lord’s directive because of his speech impairment. The Lord’s response was simple, “Who gave human being their mouths?… Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exod. 4:11,12). So let’s ask ourselves the obvious question: what have we not done for the Lord because we couldn’t do it to our standards? God wants to use us for his work, but he wants us to trust him for abilities and opportunities. What are we waiting for?

Just a cheap imitation? The Lord commands the Zerubbabel, the chief political leader, and Joshua, the chief spiritual leader, before turning to the people. His reasoning is that they will be strong and work if they remember that he is with them. There is one problem that had stopped the work and might continue to prevent it from starting. It is fear of their adversaries, who were probably watching on the next hill with bows and arrows aimed at them. But this not the fear that the Lord addresses here. Rather, it is fear that this Temple would be substandard compared to the first Temple that the Babylonians had destroyed. The leaders and people feared that the Temple would not be as ornate with precious metals as the first one was (3).

God’s solution? The Creator of heaven and earth reminded the leaders and people that all of the world’s gold and silver belonged to him (8). Do not fear! The Lord said, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (9).

This passage leaves us wondering, what haven’t we done for the Lord because we could not, in our minds, do it perfectly? The Lord asked Moses to speak to Israel ad Pharaoh but Moses questioned the Lord’s directive because of his speech impairment. The Lord’s response was simple, “Who gave human being their mouths?… Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exod. 4:11,12). So let’s ask ourselves the obvious question: what have we not done for the Lord because we couldn’t do it to our standards? God wants to use us for his work, but he wants us to trust him for abilities and opportunities. What are we waiting for?

 

Apply

In what ways has the Lord challenged you to take action for him? How can the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator help you to accomplish what seems to be impossible?

Closing prayer

Generous God, my fears hold me back from doing Your will. Remind me again that all things are possible through You, even those things that I fear most.

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