December 10 2005 Haggai 2:1-9
December 10, 2005 Haggai 2:1-9
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Haggai 2:7-9 “...I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.”
What comes to mind when you hear a promise of prosperity? I know for me it usually means a life free from worries about finances. A life that has success in areas that are important.
I have to wonder what this promise meant to the people of Israel when they first heard it. The temple, the center of their religion was in ruins. It had been destroyed by invaders years before and only now did the opportunity to rebuild present itself. And to top it all off the rebuilding had to be done on a shoestring budget. Pretty disheartening, isn’t it?
Yet, that is the Lord’s message to the remnant, ‘Rebuild and I will make the splendor of this place greater than before.’ In some hymnals, that great Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” contains a verse that reads: “O come desire of nations come…” And that is what God promises for all who build his Church, the coming of the desire of nations and prosperity that exceeds our wildest dreams.
The prosperity that God promises, is not prosperity in the sense we normally consider it. Prosperity is about much more than silver or gold. True prosperity is about wholeness and holiness, gifts that come only from God. These are gifts that never tarnish or fade, but retain their luster through all our years.
Perhaps in this Advent season, these are the gifts we should exchange and leave the X-box, the clothing, and the other ‘things’ that wear out and break behind. Maybe then we will truly have a very, merry Christmas!
Almighty God, your promises are true and your generosity confounds us. Help us to see and to know what is truly important in a life lived for you. Lead us each day in the path of Christ. Amen.
Contributed by A Church Mouse
Click here for today’s podcast!
Haggai 2:7-9 “...I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.”
What comes to mind when you hear a promise of prosperity? I know for me it usually means a life free from worries about finances. A life that has success in areas that are important.
I have to wonder what this promise meant to the people of Israel when they first heard it. The temple, the center of their religion was in ruins. It had been destroyed by invaders years before and only now did the opportunity to rebuild present itself. And to top it all off the rebuilding had to be done on a shoestring budget. Pretty disheartening, isn’t it?
Yet, that is the Lord’s message to the remnant, ‘Rebuild and I will make the splendor of this place greater than before.’ In some hymnals, that great Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” contains a verse that reads: “O come desire of nations come…” And that is what God promises for all who build his Church, the coming of the desire of nations and prosperity that exceeds our wildest dreams.
The prosperity that God promises, is not prosperity in the sense we normally consider it. Prosperity is about much more than silver or gold. True prosperity is about wholeness and holiness, gifts that come only from God. These are gifts that never tarnish or fade, but retain their luster through all our years.
Perhaps in this Advent season, these are the gifts we should exchange and leave the X-box, the clothing, and the other ‘things’ that wear out and break behind. Maybe then we will truly have a very, merry Christmas!
Almighty God, your promises are true and your generosity confounds us. Help us to see and to know what is truly important in a life lived for you. Lead us each day in the path of Christ. Amen.
Contributed by A Church Mouse
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