Something For Your Spirit

     Elder Thomas W. Burgess

Aug. 9, 2021

Haggai 1-2&1st Corinthians 6:15-20

After a really great service at Church, our Pastor asked members of the congregation to volunteer to help clean up the sanctuary after Sunday service. We have volunteers who come in during the week but he was asking for more help to keep God’s house beautiful so those who are already doing it won’t be overburdened. 

Such was the case in the Old Testament Book of Haggi. Because of the people’s hard heartedness, they were exiled. God does not play when He asks for something and His children become disobedient. His judgement some may feel is harsh but when your father (or mother) asks for something and you were disobedient, punishment was administered. OK, maybe not in your house but it was in mine.

So the people returned from being exiled (Ezra 1:2-4) to rebuild the temple (God’s house) but their work stopped. They became more concerned about building beautiful homes for them while neglecting to honor God by completing the work they started in His house.

The same can be true about us today and like the people during Haggai’s time priorities need correcting. God told them in Haggai chapter 1:6 KJV…Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

God told them everything you put toward your stuff is wasted because you have no interest in My house. For us, we may put the time in to clean His house but fail to tithe because your tithe is cutting into what you want to do with the money. Maybe someone say’s I want to help at the Church buy I just don’t have the time…while making time by prioritizing to fit their need and not God’s.

So, give the people the benefit of the doubt, they may not have had what was needed to do the work. God asks the people to “Consider your ways” Haggai 1:7 asking them to Go up to the mountain, and bring wood and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified saith the Lord (Haggai1:8)

What is His Judgement? Verse 9…Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Verse 10…Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. Verse 11…And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Look at what is happening today; farmers are having problems producing crops because of the drought in certain regions of the United States and worldwide. The western mountainous regions of our country are on fire because everything is dry. There has been no rain. Coincidence?  Absolutely not.

I can hear you saying, this was Old Testament and they did finally complete restoring the temple and you would be correct. However 1st Corinthians 6:15…Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

6:19 KJV…What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. The problem with not restoring God’s physical temple in Haggai is not living according to God’s Word in us.

Our bodies don’t belong to us, they belong to God. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, He resides in you and we have The Holy Spirit leading us in all TRUTH. Not someone’ version of Truth…God’s Truth found in His Holy Word. Verse 20 of 1st Corinthians 6:20 KJV say’s…For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, which are God’s.

The drought and fires in the west, the Delta Variant now gripping our country, the massive flooding in other parts of the world and their fires is God telling us “You have not corrected anything nor learned the lesson”. But if we will repent, asking for forgiveness, change our ways and live by His Word…He will forgive us and heal the land.

But because God Love’s us so…there is hope for us. It is way past time for us to clean and restore our temple… our bodies for The Holy Spirit. When we do, the world can come to Christ. I will close with these passages…

Haggi 2:5 KJV…According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you: fear not. Verse 6…For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land: 7…And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with Glory, saith the Lord of hosts. 8…The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. 9…The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

Thank You Father For Your Word.

Latest comments

15.05 | 02:29

Thank you for sharing.

06.03 | 16:51

Thank you for sharing, it is so very true that his abiding love produces great faith, which has produced peace in my life over and over again, allows me to live through my midnight to wake up to JOY!

02.03 | 01:20

Amen and AMEN! HE’s sweet. I KNOW...❤️🙏🏽

21.06 | 05:36

Thanks for keeping me in mind.

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