Haggai 1

Scripture

Haggai 1:5-9

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 

Observation-What does it say?

The book of Haggai was written by the Prophet Haggai. “God sought to warn the people to heed His words.  Not only did God warn them, but He also offered promises through His servant Haggai to motivate them to follow Him. Because the people of God reverses their priorities and failed to put God in first place in their lives, Judah was sent into Babylonian exile.” 

(Reference: gotquestions.org -Summary of the Book of Haggai).

Understanding-What does it mean?

It ALL belongs to God.

When I say ALL, I mean ALL…our money, our gifts, our talents, our accomplishments, our health, our possessions, our spouses, kids, families, friends….basically our whole lives! God has the power to give and He has the power to take away. 

Moses and I are teaching our kids about tithing and are requiring them to give 10% of their financial increase back to the Lord as an act of obedience. Their tithe eventually goes back into our DSC kids church ministry. (Note: Our kids have already accepted the Lord into their hearts and were baptized, so this is not a legalistic rule we are putting on them—it’s a discipline and act of obedience that we are trying to instill in them as a child of Christ.) We get the moans and groans, but then we make them aware that God could ask them to return ALL of it since it belongs to Him anyway. This life begins and ends with Christ, not with them.

Life Application

Put Christ FIRST!

Do you want God’s blessing on your life, even beyond money? Do you want to be content and satisfied in life, living securely in the comfort of His love, joy and peace, no matter what circumstances you are faced with? Then put Him first in ALL areas of your life—finances, gifts, talents, possessions and people.

Dear Lord, this life is but a blink of Your eye. I pray that we would put our hope in things of eternal value and invest in what You want, not what we want for ourselves. I pray that we would build Your Kingdom instead of our own because our kingdom can be easily destroyed, while Yours is eternal. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

Psalm 5

 

*Throwback post from Rei leading up to the 2018 India Missions trip, but it is still very relevant for today!*

Scripture

 

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

    in the morning I lay my requests before you

    and wait expectantly.

Observation-What does it say?

Psalm is the documentation of David – crying out, praising, pouring out His heart to God.  “It is a reflection of how the righteous man prays for deliverance not only for freedom from suffering, but to allow himself to be able to serve God without distraction.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_5

Understanding-What does it mean?

Lately, the word “expectantly” has been reoccurring and heavy (in a good way) on my heart.  In preparation of our India trip, I am EXPECTANT.  But I’m finding myself expectant more and more often…and this verse brings light to the fact that we should be expectant EVERYDAY. 

For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down and the mountains trembled before you.  - Isaiah 64:3   

God can and WILL do amazing things, whether we live in expectancy or not…but, to live in faith, means to live in expectation – knowing and believing God will provide, He will move boldly…this is when mountains move!

…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you. – Matthew 17:20

Life Application

Be bold in faith! 

God, thank you for your ready examples of your faithfulness.  May we be eager and bold to call on you, to share you with friends, family and strangers alike.  Show me how to love on people today in a way that points them to you. 

In your name, I pray.  Amen.

-Rei

Psalm 4

Scripture  Psalm 4:6-8 

Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”  Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!  You have put gladness in my heart,  More than when their grain and new wine abound.  In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. Observation-What does it say?   As the title expresses, this is a Psalm of David, whom we know as a man after God’s heart.  This was written as a song for Israel’s worship services.  It was likely written in a time of chaos and confusion, when people were turning away from the promises of God and turning toward the “wisdom” of men and foreign gods.  They were asking “who will show us any good?”  and seeking for answers outside of scripture.  David expresses the strength and joy he has found in the Lord.  In Biblical language the heart is the center of our spirit, the place where our emotions, thoughts, courage and action are derived from.  David tells the audience he found more security in God than when food was abundant (in today's language, we might say when the stock market is doing well).  His safety was derived from his obedience to God’s commandments and his faith in God’s goodness. Understanding-What does it mean?  “Is--is he a man?” asked Lucy.  “Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly.  “Certainly not.  I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emporer-Beyon-the-Sea.  Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts?  Aslan is a lion--the Lion, the great Lion.”  Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man.  Is he--quite safe?”... “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver.  “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.” In “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, C.S. Lewis used a story geared towards children to express the same truths he saw in the Bible.  He drew from his experience of uncertainty during both the first and second World Wars, as well as the pain experienced by the death of his mother at an early age, while writing these stories.  He became one of the foremost lay theologians of the 20th century.  Through all of the pain and uncertainty he experienced during his lifetime, which included the Spanish Flu pandemic and the stock market crash of the 1930’s, Lewis clearly developed a deep trust in God’s goodness, evidenced by his writings. There is a lot of talk now of “being safe.”  God never promised safety.  In fact, scripture gives us assurance that if we follow Christ we will most certainly not be safe.  Before sending out the twelve, Jesus warned them they would see a hard road and gave them the true meaning of discipleship.  Jesus said, “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.  Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:26-31)  Jesus also told his followers that they were blessed when they saw persecution (Matthew 5:11-12).  As David expressed, we only find security in God, not in the “wisdom” of this world. Life Application  Jesus, help me to find security in you, even when the world attacks and persecutes your church.  When the world seeks to keep us from worshiping you, help me to face the scrutiny with boldness and courage.  It is only in you that I find my life, only in you can I move and breath and have my being.  In you I am a new creation, and if I don’t cry out, surely the rocks will.        

 

-Tyler Galloway