Today’s Devotion
Topic: Building For God vrs Building For Self First!
(Self Assessment 124)
Background: Many of us love and care about the things of God. We do not even deny that God expects us to contribute to the expansion and growth of His Kingdom.
Our concerns mostly are whether we are ‘well cut’ to meet God’s expectation regarding what we can contribute towards the expansion of His kingdom and also to know what time remains most appropriate to attend to the things of God, since we also have the interest of building our own ‘homes’.
Well, this study helps address all the above; so that the believer is not confused about how and when to contribute to the things of God anymore. Therefore, gather the family together: it is time to study the Word.
Text: Haggai 1: 1, 4- 9, 12-14,
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:
4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 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.
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord.
14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God. Amen
Questions:
i. Once a person is saved, he/ she has moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. From your knowledge of Scripture, what will be some of the things God expects of him/ her as contribution to building and expanding the kingdom (or the body of Christ)?
ii. In your opinion, what will be some of the factors that make us abandon our duty to help build the body of Christ, just to wander about building things of self interest?
iii. Read vrs 5 to 9 again:
a) What are some of the things that happened to the people of Israel when they allowed the house of God to lie in ruins while they attended to building their own homes?
b) Is it possible for a believer who is anointed and filled with grace to contribute to the things of God to experience similar short comings for paying no attention to God but to his/ her own interest?
iv. How did Zerubbabel, Joshua and the whole of Israel react to the Word of the Lord that came to them through prophet Haggai? (read vrs 12- 13).
v. When Israel accepted her mistake and was willing to obey God, verse 14 says, “the Lord stirred up their spirits and they begun to work”:
a) What does it mean to have one’s spirit stirred up by God?
b) Does that imply that most of us who either procrastinate or hide away from the things of God probably need a stirring within our spirits to arise and do exploits?
vi. What have you learnt from today’s devotion?
Kindly reply us through this same social media platform (Facebook/ WhatsApp). We learn a great deal from the answers you share.
