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Haggai 1:9
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Haggai 1:9
Devotion"HAGGAI 1:8-11."
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Today's Message
Haggai 1:9
Science has brought multiple blessings to humanity and will continue to be. However, Science has its limitations. For example, Science teaches that every occurrence, either natural or supposedly unnatural, must be explained through empirical research.
Empirical research is a scientific approach that relies on real-world, observable evidence rather than theory, intuition, or belief. However, there are many occurances in life that are purely spiritual with no satisfactory scientific explanation or solution. The text is a case of natural disasters, unproductive endeavours, drought and inflation which God revealed as having spiritual undertones. For such experiences, the temptation of the modern world is to look up to science for solutions, but in actual fact, the solution is with God and nobody else. In such cases, the wise will take out definite time to seek the face of God.
1. Divine Pleasure through Obedience
The Jews returnee from captivity started on a good note. They wanted to appreciate God and worship Him, having delivered them from Babylonian captivity and brought them back to their native land. They decided to build Him a temple of worship since the temple of Solomon had been destroyed at that time. The altar of prayer and worship of God must be the priority of every one that desires to please God. Solomon did the same when he was made king. He built an elaborate altar at Gibeon where He met God and God blessed him specially. The altar is the place of fellowship with God. When the altar of a man is strong, the lines will always fall onto the person in pleasant places. In fact, no battle of life would be able to conquer such a person. That was the experience of the returnee. Unfortunately, along the line, they withdrew from building the temple as a result of challenges. God did not excuse them. As a result some negative experiences started happening to them. What was the remedy that God gave them? Go back to the altar of obedience to God. *"Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house"*. This obedience was the condition for God having pleasure in them. *"And I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD"*.
It is true that God loves the world to the point of releasing His only begotten Son for our atonement. However, the love of God can only be earned through obedience to God. When there is no obedience to the Word of God, the manifestation of the love of God will be caught in limbo.
*"If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him"* (John 14:23). What can you understand from the reciprocal love of God as shown above? Profession of love for God is only acceptable to God when it is backed up with obedience to the totality of the Word of God. This special (not general) love of God will then be reciprocated or earned by the love and favour of God. So we can conclude that the degree of our obedience to the Word of God shows the degree of our love for God and this consequently determines how God is happy and glorified through us.
*2. Deprivation and Poverty through Opportunism*
What is the cause of national poverty and inflation? What is the course of the global economic recession? Why are believers suffering in abject poverty though their God is the Owner of the universe. Many answers will always resonate depending on the understanding and the perception of the person answering. Some will call it a natural disaster. Some will reason that it is because of lack of commitment to Agriculture. God revealed that behind the natural is the spiritual. The invisible controls the visible whether people accept it or not. The revelation of the spiritual causes of calamities is always precious and a favour to man because the solution is easy to give once the cause is revealed. So, Science will go far to explain causes, but not the cause behind the causes. God revealed to them the problem. *"Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it"*. This speaks about low yields, negative balance of sheets, inability to recoup investments and mysterious losses. *"Why? saith the LORD of hosts"*. Happy are those that would sincerely ask God for a revelation of hostile and mysterious life experiences and the solution. God is always willing to reveal the purpose of negative experiences that go contrary to His Word and promises. There was a time the whole Israel suffered famine and drought for three years consecutively in 2 Samuel 21:1-10. It took divine revelation before David could know that it was the sins of his predecessor Saul that caused it. The famine would have institutionalized itself and become the new normal were it not for divine revelation.
Many people suffer generational poverty, sicknesses, vain struggles to rise up in life, living a life of average, etc. as a result of the evils of the past which they may not even know anything about. Genuine Salvation should cancel them and if they still persist, there is a need for revelation of the cause and the divine solution. In the case of Israel in the text, the cause and the solution were also given. *"Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house"*. God saw them as opportunists who enjoyed the blessings of God, but were not committed to showing appreciation to God in return. The case is a case of making consecration to God and going back on that consecration. The same principle applies to selfish saints who receive free, but costly salvation of Christ, but are not ready to serve Jesus Christ with all their lives. They will have restricted and limited blessings from God. If this can happen to a green tree what of the dry tree where a sinner refuses to repent and accept the forgiveness of God. The Bible says ,*"Woe unto them"*.
*3. Drought Punishment through Obstruction*
In that case, God punished them with what would immediately, catch their attention and draw them back to God. *"Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit"*. Today, there may be irrigation, but God still has other punitive ways He uses to catch the attention of His rebellious people.
*"And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn...."* Globally, about 8.2% of the world's population (over 673 million people) suffers from chronic hunger, while roughly 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Climate change, wars and some other factors may be responsible. What causes climate change? Man. What made man careless about the climate? Believers should not take anything for granted. Whatever they are experiencing must be juxtaposed with the promises of God. Whenever their experiences contradict what God planned and promised for His children, wisdom will demand that the believer seek the face of God and deal with the problem.
*Prayer Points*
1.Ask for forgiveness which ever area you might have been disobedient or unfaithful to your consecrations 🙏.
2.Come to the altar afresh and re-consecrate your life to God and His service. Ask God to strengthen your altar of prayer and devotion 🙏.
3.Ask God to search your heart and family line and reveal any evil of the past which you may not know, but is having a toll on your life 🙏.
4.Pray for mercy for all brethren in Light encounter tabernacle ministry worldwide and grace to be committed to full obedience to God's Word and will 🙏.
S
Written by
Segun Ajayi