From This Day On

Right to His flawless Word:

“On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai:

‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’

The priests answered, ‘No.’

Then Haggai said, ‘If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?’

‘Yes,’ the priests replied, ‘it becomes defiled.’

Then Haggai said, ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on – consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.

I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought:

Is there any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

From this day on I will bless you.'”

Haggai 2:10-19

It’s a month after the last word our exiles received from Zechariah. They had been challenged to remember their forefathers’ disobedience and return to Him.

Interestingly, God is also using our festive prophet, Haggai, to inspire remembrance in our exiles.

Remember when everything you did was defiled because you weren’t obedient?

Remember when you planted for a huge harvest and only received a mediocre one?

Remember when you weren’t able to obey God without any outside resistance so you quit?

Remember when you prioritized your personal house over God’s house?

Well, that’s over.

Oh my word, I love Him. We never have to wonder if our baby steps toward internal and external obedience borne out of love matter to Him. He sees. He counts every bit of our believing Him over what our eyes can see as righteousness.

Wherever you are, whatever obedience looks like for you, do not give up. Obey in actions. Daily “return” to Him in your heart. Not so you can get what you think you need from Him. Not so He is obligated to do what you want.

That’s religion.

But so you can be swept up in His Story. Smack dab in the middle of His will for you. Content and exhilarated at once to be walking in step with Him.