Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
April 27, 2022
Read Haggai 1:3-11
3 Then the LORD’s word came through Haggai the prophet: 4 Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? 5 So now, this is what the LORD of heavenly forces says: Take your ways to heart. 6 You have sown much, but it has brought little. You eat, but there’s not enough to satisfy. You drink, but not enough to get drunk. There is clothing, but not enough to keep warm. Anyone earning wages puts those wages into a bag with holes. 7 This is what the LORD of heavenly forces says: Take your ways to heart. 8 Go up to the highlands and bring back wood. Rebuild the temple so that I may enjoy it and that I may be honored, says the LORD. 9 You expect a surplus, but look how it shrinks. You bring it home, and I blow it away, says the LORD of heavenly forces, because my house lies in ruins. But all of you hurry to your own houses. 10 Therefore, the skies above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce because of you. 11 I have called for drought on the earth, on the mountains, on the grain, on the wine, on the olive oil, on that which comes forth from the fertile ground, on humanity, on beasts, and upon everything that handles produce.
Good Morning, We must place God first in our lives.
Perhaps this passage is very relevant to us as most churches are in a rebuilding process following the pandemic. It is easy to blame the situation for the loss of members during this time, and to point fingers at those who closed our doors. In retrospect, I believe that the steps that we took were unexpected, but necessary to maintaining the health and safety of our congregations and pastors.
Now it is time to rebuild! People are beginning to venture out again and do those things that they did before the pandemic. Families are gathering together, going on vacations, and attending public events, yet many of our pews remain empty. Church leaders of all denominations are looking for ways to reestablish the role of the church in our families. Maybe we need to examine our foundation to make sure that we are still built upon Christ in all things. Each one of us is called to be a part of the body of Christ and to take action to gather the lost into our fellowship.
No one is exempt from this calling. Now is not the time to sit in church and complain about those who are absent. All must work together to rebuild the “church”. The call of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 is to all believers: “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. Help us share our blessings with others so that we may join together in fellowship as the body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: How will I participate in building God’s beloved community today?
Be the light and lead the way! Pastor Liz
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