Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.

 Haggai 1:12

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Haggai 1:12

I resume my study of Haggai - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Haggai 1:12 which is the first division (and first two subdivisions) of the text covered the commentary's chapter with its title Fear of God Leads to Repentance. From the commentary:

Main idea (for 1:12-15): "The people of Israel heard the word of the Lord, repented together, and obeyed God. As they obeyed God, He affirmed His presence among them."

Excerpts from the commentary for first subdivision entitled God’s Word Brings Forth Obedience (1:12):

• God spoke and the people obeyed.
• "We see two distinct phrases in this verse that explain the significance of God’s words in the lives of the Jewish people. First, and most clearly, the text tells us that the people “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God.” God spoke, and they listened....The verse goes on to point out that God spoke through his prophet Haggai. Continuing on in the verse, we are reminded that the people obeyed God’s voice, and second, they obeyed Haggai’s voice, his words, “because the Lord had sent him.”
• The commentary then shares "three important realities about God's word and our obedience: (1) God's word is powerful and effective (see also Hebrews 4:12), (2) God often chooses to delivery His words through a preacher.  We are reminded that while pastors are appointed by God they are not perfect so we should not worship them. We are also reminded that pastors should take great care in delivering God's word (see also 2 Timothy 4:1-2), (3) we can learn the power of leadership" and how when leaders repent of their sins others follow as seen here in Haggai.  
  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your word is powerful and effective and I am blessed that You provide Your word as well as pastors and teachers that help me understand Your message for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[B]ut I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Romans 7

[B]ut I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Romans 7:23

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter ten - Learning Late in Life to Know and Kill My Most Besetting Sins.  Here, John Piper shares details of how Paul helped him see how he could kill his most challenging sins - primarily selfishness, which he describes how it then leads to anger, self-pity, quickness to blame, and sullenness.  He points to what is referred to by Paul in Romans 7:23 as indwelling sin where there is no premeditation to sin, it is simply a reflex based on our fallen nature.  He then shares how that we can only defeat sin that is forgiven - namely if we don't accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and ask for His forgiveness of sins - we will not be able to defeat the sting of sin and death in our lives - see also Colossians 2:14. Christ's death on the cross, according to Piper, becomes the "decisive impulse" in any sin-killing effort.  Piper continues by outlining how defeat of sin requires conscious and active effort - we cannot be passive. He points to Philippians 2:12-13 and unpacks this text defining (via Peter O'Brien in his Philippians commentary) this "work out" as "continuous, sustained, and strenuous effort."  This action may be self-driven, but is often done (and recommended as such) with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Daily reading and study of God's Word is a prerequisite as Hebrews 4:12 accurately and pointedly shares that the Word reveals our sin.

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God and You first of all forgive sins and give me the Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ to arm me to defeat sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which asserts - rightly so for believers - that "[t]he word of God is our only hope."  The devotion then states that "[t]he good news of God’s promises and the warnings of his judgment are sharp enough and living enough and active enough to penetrate to the bottom of my heart and show me that the lies of sin are indeed lies. Abortion will not create a wonderful future for me. Neither will cheating, or dressing provocatively, or throwing away my sexual purity, or keeping quiet about dishonesty at work, or divorce, or vengeance. And what rescues me from this deception is the word of God....Be of good cheer in your battle to believe. Because the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, it will penetrate deeper than any deception of sin has ever gone and reveal what is truly valuable and what is truly worth trusting and loving." Indeed, earlier this week, I posted how, during our time in this life, believers are in a battle for our soul against sin, Satan, and the forces of darkness. Yet this victory is already won (John 19:30) and we have the full armor of God to fight this battle.  Believers should be encouraged and seek God with a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who gives me the Word and the Holy Spirit and so much more so that I can know You, love You, and become more like You in my battle with sin. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[Josiah] read in [the people's] hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35

[Josiah] read in [the people's] hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. 2 Kings 23:2-32, Chronicles 34:30-32

Day 213 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with my study of Jeremiah. My commentary* pauses on a reading of the book of Jeremiah, and discusses the impact of Jeremiah on the young King Josiah, his kingdom in Judah, and even on the remnant of Israel that participated in Judah's spiritual revival under Josiah.  My commentary indicates that despite Jeremiah's challenges with Judah in terms of hearing God's message to repent, "[f]or now, however, the scene changes to a nation on the brink of a thorough, if brief, spiritual revival. Perhaps Jeremiah’s preaching has been more effective than he realizes. (When one plants the seed, he never knows when it will bear fruit.)"

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Josiah leads the people to repair the temple, and during the repairs, the Book of the Law (given from God to Moses) was found. It is read to Josiah and ultimately to all the people.  What follows of course is what we expect when we encounter God - we must understand that God's word IS God (see John 1) and when we encounter God and develop a personal relationship with Him, transformation occurs...and in the case of Judah (which extends to Samaria or to the northern kingdom) we see spiritual revival.

The most important commandment (see Exodus 20 and Matthew 22) is to love God.  We grow in our love of God by getting to know Him and we do so by spending time with Him in daily study/prayer. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has surrendered His life on earth for me - thank You Jesus - salvation is the greatest gift of all time. I am not deserving of such a gift. I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?"

1 Kings 5-7 and 9:25; 2 Chronicles 2-8

“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But  who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?" 2 Chronicles 2:5-6

Day 131 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with Solomon's efforts to build the temple in Jerusalem.

Having attended a church plant that met first in a movie theater then in a middle school building, I am familiar with the criticism and resistance that often accompanies attendance at a church that does not have a traditional or permanent church building.  Solomon is accurate in his statement that God is not contained in a church building as of course He is omnipresent. He is in our hearts and among His children when they meet together.  He exists in the Word and through the Holy Spirit.

See also

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God....For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God....For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. v21,23

As Peter exhorts us to be "alert and fully sober" (v13), to be "obedient" and to avoid following our evil desires (v14), to be holy (v15-16), and to live in "reverent fear" (v17), He reminds us of who Christ is and how our faith itself is a gift from God.  John Piper provides this excellent message
to help us more fully understand not just how our faith is a gift from God but how God is orchestrating so much more so that we can see Jesus Christ as the object our treasure and hope.

We also have this great nugget in v23 that reminds us how our faith rests on something that is "not perishable" but "living and enduring".

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me, who never stops loving me and working for me - thank You Jesus!  I know You love me and I am greatly encouraged that You give me faith and I can count on You, Your Word and the Holy Spirit - all of which are living, not perishable and permanent!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of what You provide for me.  I sin...daily...and it often weighs on me.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

Mark 14

But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. v31

God encourages us to interact with him, perhaps even to metaphorically "wrestle with God", yet at no time should believe that any word from God is not true.  Peter and the others challenge Jesus - allowing their arrogance to blind them from what God is saying and doing in their lives.  Jesus wants Peter to know that He KNOWS Peter will disown Him but that He is still going to die for His and everyone else's sin.

We should understand that the Bible IS God and everyone word and teaching contained within the Bible is true.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

Scripture is perfect.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an amazing God and Your Word has brought me closer to You, giving me a better understanding of who You are and I have grown closer to You through Your Word - thank You Jesus for giving me Your Word and so much more!  I am not worth such blessings.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.

Jeremiah 9

For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. v25

God is blunt with His judgement of the Israelites - their faith is paper thin and in name only.  They fail to observe the most important commandment by a long shot.

Reading Jeremiah of course is a mirror into our own lives:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I must examine and reflect on where in my life I am not loving God with all of my heart, soul and mind and loving others as He loves me.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God, and I know You love me and You died for me so that I would not experience the sting of sin and death and so that I would have everlasting life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Please give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. v105

It is not definitively agreed upon who the author of this psalm is nor when it was written or the circumstances of the psalm. Yet as with all scripture, it has eternal value as it is God breathed and living.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness[.] 1 Timothy 3:16

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

This morning, I feel desperate for God and His light.  I don't know what the future holds and many days I have concerns about how I can provide for my family - these are of course unfounded as God provides.  Once again I should hold on to what is true and let go of what is going on my mind as many thoughts are directed by Satan who wants to separate me from God.

See also this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who will always be with me - I am 100% certain!  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.