Haggai 1:13-15
When God commands Israel to complete the Temple they’d started 16 years earlier, he makes a beautiful promise. In spite of this daunting task he graciously says, “I am with you” (Haggai 1.13). And once they obey and get started, he “stirs up the spirit” of their leaders (Haggai 1.14), giving them motivation for the project.
God’s commands look good on the Bible page, but in reality can be very hard to follow. He says to forgive (Ephesians 4.32) even when the way you were treated is unforgivable. He says to have patience (James 5.8), even though that intern assigned to you is hopeless. He says to be kind, even in the face of your next door neighbor’s unreasonable demands (Colossians 3.12).
In the time of Haggai, the people of Israel model what happens when we say “Yes” to a seemingly impossible command from God and take courageous steps forward. You may not feel like it, but when you start moving he guides, provides, and will even stir up feelings of motivation when you take those first steps forward.
When you accept Christ as your Savior, you’re a work in progress that God is building from the inside out (Philippians 1.6). Even though we sometimes walk away from what we’ve started building with him, God doesn’t give up on us. He’s just waiting for us to move “someday” to “today.”
As you meet God today, thank him for the incomparable blessing of being close to him.
