Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.

 Haggai 2:10-14

Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. Haggai 2:14

I continue 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 2:10-14, which the commentary outlines as the first division for Haggai 2:10-23, the next set of verses covered by a new chapter in the commentary. Excerpts from the commentary:

• God wants the people to understand the depth of their sin.  "First, their sin has caused them to become spiritually dead and defiled. Second, because they are dead and defiled, no amount of activity on their part would profit them until they had repented of their sin....God illustrates for them a central truth that is found throughout Scripture: our sin has separated us from God and has caused us to be spiritually dead."
• We are referred to Revelation 3:1-6 where it shares how those who are spiritually dead will not experience eternity with Jesus in Heaven and this includes those in the church who are lukewarm to God or feeling as if their good works are sufficient.  V14 reminds us that no amount of good works are sufficient until we truly repent. See also 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and Matthew 23:27. 
• Repentance and our heart condition are key.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of amazing grace. Thank You Jesus for Your love and amazing grace.  I am not deserving of the love You pour out for me nor for my salvation.  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 continue to 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.

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 66

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at - once again as it did yesterday on a broader perspective - what kinds of prayer pleases God.  John Piper first looks at what kind of prayer does NOT please God, and he points us to Isaiah 66:3-4.  Here Piper emphasizes God's word where He says in reference to the Israelites that disappointed Him: "when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight." These words reveal an arrogant posture towards God - when God calls and we don't answer - this reflects a heart where one feels that they don't need God or that they can hide from God.  Either way, such an attitude is fool hearty as we all need a Savior and God sees everything.  In contrast, we see in verse 2 an attitude of humility, where God describes the prayer that pleases Him.  It comes from those whose heart is humble and contrite - and who tremble at God's word, showing God the respect He deserves as the One True God. Piper also points us to Psalm 51:17 where David is explicit in answering this morning's question:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Remain humble! 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me. I know all comes from You and You are faithful, providing for all needs.  I am not deserving of how You save and how You provide - Your grace is amazing.  Thank You Jesus!  Please 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.

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 64-66

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

I resume my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  My study of Isaiah moves on to day 1 (of 5) of week 23, which will bring my study of Isaiah to a close as it covers Isaiah 64-66.  Day 1 focuses on initial observations from the entire text.  God's final judgement and end times are core themes for these chapters, so we of course see eternal damnation for the unrepentant - those whom God gave over to their sins.  We also see hope for the remnant - the elect and those whom God chose to not only hear the gospel, but also to receive the gospel and to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  God describes this remnant in Isaiah 65:8-9:

Thus says the Lord: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all. I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there. Isaiah 65:8-9

This remnant has hope as described in 65:19

I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. Isaiah 65:19

God also describes how we are to respond to His Word - by humbly submitting to Him and living in fear of Him as He reigns and holds our life in His hands. See Isaiah 66:2.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - You saved me.  I am undeserving of my salvation - I know it is only by Your grace that I am saved and that my faith is a gift.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  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.

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word....The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Isaiah 66, Psalm 51

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word....The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Isaiah 66:2, Psalm 51:17

This morning, I pause on both my study of Isaiah and my study of Proverbs, to listen to John Piper's daily devotion on DesiringGod.com.  The focus of the devotion is a question which should interest all believers - "[w]hat kind of prayer pleases God?" Piper first answers in the negative by looking at God's word in Isaiah 66:3-4 - the prayers of those who go through the motions of worship (i.e. ritual, heartless sacrifice and worship) but do not seek God's word.  I was once in this latter category and I am grateful that God grew my love of Him.  Piper then moves on to the affirmative where he emphasizes how humility and a contrite heart - our recognition of our brokenness and a God that loves us and seeks to redeem us. We must DAILY seek Him and hunger and thirst for righteousness as we ALL sin and need a Savior - that Savior is Jesus Christ and our need of a Savior should drive us into the arms of Jesus, manifesting itself in a daily, lifelong personal relationship with Him.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who saved me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving - not by a long shot.  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.

“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Matthew 15

“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” v27

A Canaanite woman pleads with Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter, yet Jesus ignores her plea initially and the disciples urge Him to move on.  Her pleas continue to the point of getting on her knees and debating with Jesus (see also Matthew Henry Commentary), and He agrees to heal her daughter - seeing the faith she has and the desire she has for Him and His healing powers.

God wants us to be desperate for Him, and for us to have a contrite heart - see also verses here.  We should acknowledge that we all sin and are in need of a Savior. 

David had a contrite heart:

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:3-5

Bottom line: Jesus wants us exactly where we are - desperate, humble, angry, etc.  We can debate with Him, etc.  We must however acknowledge who God is and remain in reverent fear of Him..

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are Lord of All, King of Kings, and You reign over the heavens and the earth - and You are my God.  You adopted me and died for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God.  I am selfish, etc.  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.

I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 57

I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. v15

God wants all of His children to return to Him...to turn from their sinful ways towards Him.  We must be willing to acknowledge that we all sin and are in need of a savior...that we are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).

See also the Parable of the Lost or Prodigal Son.  

God loves us so much that He offers forgiveness and second (and third, etc.) chances.

However, God's patience is not unlimited and we must act with a sense of urgency.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has welcomed me back SO many times.  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.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept 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.