Month: May 2015

“I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from you hands.” Malachi 1:10 HCSB

God has blessed me with four wonderful children, each of whom I am very proud. I have had the privilege of baptizing all four of them and have officiated at the wedding ceremony for three. This September I will have the honor of officiating at the marriage of my fourth child. I am proud to call them my children and they represent the Moore family well.

The priests were responsible for representing God and His character. By accepting imperfect sacrifices, they were leading the people to believe that these sacrifices were acceptable to God. God was not pleased with the priests. Just as my children represent the Moore family, as Christians and children of God we represent God. We reflect God, His character, and His attitudes to those we encounter each day.

Challenge: What image of God do others see in you? Do you casually accept sin in your life like the priests did with imperfect sacrifices? Is God pleased with you? Pray that you will be an ambassador for Christ and be a positive representative of God each day.

“When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Hosts. “And now ask for God’s favor. Will He be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?” asks the Lord of Hosts. Malachi 1:8-9 HCSB

I recently hired a young man to weed-eat and trim my yard. He came promptly and finished in record time. It was a satisfactory job, but not the best job. He missed several areas and in some places his work was not neatly done. Perhaps I was expecting too much of a teenage boy, but the fact is that he did the job he was hired to do quickly and did the minimal amount required to get the job done.

The Israelites were approaching their worship and sacrifice to God in the same way. They only did what was the minimal requirement and at times did not even do the minimal. They did not seem to care what they offered as a sacrifice or how they offered it. When they brought a blind, lame, or sick animal as a sacrifice, they were not really sacrificing anything. They were probably going to have to get rid of the animal anyway. God desires our best, not our leftovers. When we give our best we are showing our love and respect for God.

Challenge: Too many times we give a token nod to God and expect to find favor with Him and to receive His abundant blessings. If you desire to find favor with God you must seek Him, follow His will, and give your best to Him. Are you giving your best or are you doing just enough to get by? Pray that you will find favor with Him.

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me? Says Yahweh of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name.” Yet you ask: “How have we despised Your name?” “By presenting defiled food on My altar.” You ask: “How have we defiled You?” When you say: “The Lord’s table is contemptible.” Malachi 1:6-7 HCSB

Last Sunday on Mother’s Day, our pastor preached a sermon about honoring our mothers. The Bible commands us to honor our fathers and mothers. It is a command that comes with the promise of long life. To honor someone is to give great respect and reverence.

The priests were dishonoring the Lord. The offerings to the Lord at the temple were to be perfect without blemish, but the priests were allowing the people to offer blind, crippled, and even diseased animals to God. The priests had set a bad example by offering less than perfect sacrifices to the Lord. They were not honoring the Lord with their best.

Challenge: What are you offering to the Lord? Is it your best? What you offer to God both in your life and in your gifts is a reflection of your attitude toward Him. Do not be like the Israelites who offered God their leftovers instead of their best; offer your best to Him and see how He uses you to accomplish great things for His kingdom. Read Romans 12:1 and offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God.

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you ask: “How have You loved us?” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the Lord’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau. I turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals.” Malachi 1:2-3 HCSB

We all would prefer good news over bad news, but life continuously brings a combination of both. We often request the good news first over the bad news if given a choice. In this passage, God begins with the good news of His never-ending love. He assured the people of Israel that He loved them regardless of their sin and disobedience. The people needed this reassurance; some may have even doubted God’s love because they felt their sin and disobedience made them unloveable.

God then contrasted His love for Israel with His rejection of Edom, the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. The words “love” and “hate” suggest that God chose Jacob instead of his brother Esau to be the one through whom the nation of Israel and the Messiah would come. (see Romans 9:10-13). He took special care of His chosen nation of Israel through which He would bless the whole world.

Challenge: God loves you more than you can imagine, even when you sin and disobey Him. God loves all people, but His gift of eternal life is only given to those who are faithful to Him. People are only rejected when they reject God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

“This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.” Haggai 2:5 HCSB

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell within those who believed and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit would be a constant companion, there to convict us of our sins and lead us in the paths of righteousness. There have been several times in my life when I have felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to do something or to avoid a tempting situation. Just recently I have felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to contact a former pastor to tell him how much he has impacted my life.

The Israelites had been led from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. They had been guided by the Holy Spirit. God had provided for their every need. Even though God did punish them for their sins, He kept His promise to never leave them.

Challenge: Since the Holy Spirit of the living God lives within us as believers, we know that God will always direct us and guide us in the direction we should go. No matter what we face in this life or how frustrating things become, we can face the future without any fear because we know that God’s Spirit is with us. Read Exodus 29:45-46. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide and direct your paths. Thank God for His Holy Spirit.

“I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, olive oil, and whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all that your hands produce.” Haggai 1:11 HCSB

Not only was I born in Amarillo, Texas, the Lord allowed me to serve at First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas as youth pastor for seven years. Amarillo is in the Panhandle of Northwestern Texas. The landscape is not much. It is as flat as a pancake with very few trees. The wind blows constantly and sometimes there is a dust storm. Not much will grow in the Panhandle of Texas unless it is well-watered.

The people of Judah made their living from the grain, grapes, and olives that grew in abundance in the area. A drought would be devastating to the region and would destroy their ability to earn a living. The people took good care of their crops but neglected God’s temple. As a result, God allowed a drought to come on the land that made it difficult to grow anything. The purpose of the drought was to bring the people back to God and an understanding of the importance of restoring the temple.

Challenge: Even though God is in total control, we must understand that every natural disaster is not a result of God disciplining His children. He uses many different ways to bring His children to repentance. The purpose of God’s discipline is to make His children more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Thank God for any drought in your life that is helping to produce more Christ-like behavior.

“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why? This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. “Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own home.” Haggai 1:9 HCSB

For years I have made a “Things To Do” list for each day of the week. My “Things To Do” list includes a category for work, home, and even telephone calls and emails. I list everything that I need to accomplish and then prioritize my list and focus my attention on the first item. When completed, I then move on to the second item on my list. Prioritizing my “Things To Do” list helps me to stay focused and get more accomplished during the day.

The people of Judah had lost their focus. They had not done a very good job of prioritizing what needed to be done. The priority of restoring the temple had been moved to the bottom of the list and therefore had not been done while they had moved the restoration of their own homes to the top of the list.

Challenge: What are your priorities? Where is God on your priority list? Too many times we place our jobs, home, family, and leisure time activities before God. We sometimes confuse God’s work with God and even place it above our relationship with Him. Make a list of your priorities. Ask God to help you to keep your focus and priorities in the proper order.

You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it. Haggai 1:6 HCSB

Does it seem that there is always more month than there is money? Too often many people reach the end of the month without enough money to pay all of the bills and buy groceries. It is a never ending cycle in our country which perpetuates the adage that the more we earn the more we spend.

The Word of the Lord through the prophet Haggai was a message to the people from God. His Word proclaimed that the people never seemed to have enough food or drink to be satisfied. The people had clothes but not enough to actually keep them warm. We may often feel like the wage earner described in this verse: There never seems to be enough; the more we earn the more we need. We sometimes feel that there is a hole in our purse and wonder where all the money went. There always seems to be a place for everything we earn.

Challenge: Are you satisfied with what you have? Does there seem to never be enough? When you fail to put God first place in your life you can expect to have challenges. Your labors will not be as fruitful. God wants to guide you and direct your path, if you will only let Him. Read Deuteronomy 28:36-45. Put God first place in your life and seek His wisdom and guidance in everything you do. Ask Him to bless your efforts so you do not labor in vain.

The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Haggai 1:3-4 HCSB

Our church has just initiated a new capital campaign. The purpose is to raise funds to make some much needed improvements to our facilities. We identified a need to renovate several areas so we can more effectively reach and minister to people. The first project will be a renovation of our preschool and children’s area to make it more inviting and to enhance our security. Our previous campaign focused on paying down debt, but we feel that we now need to turn our focus to improving God’s house.

The prophet Haggai brought a message from God to the people. He asked how the people could live in luxury while God’s house was lying in ruins. The Temple was the center of the community and its rebuilding had been halted for approximately 15 years. The people put their energies into beautifying their own homes but they had neglected God’s temple.

Challenge: Be careful to not neglect your spiritual life just like the people in Haggai’s time had neglected and halted the rebuilding of the God’s temple. Take time each day to read God’s Word and pray so you can stay spiritually fit.

Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights! Habakkuk 3:19 HCSB

Pawnation reports that a white-tailed deer is the most abundant deer in the United States, though they aren’t found in California, Nevada, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii. Speed is of the essence since the white-tailed deer must be able to outrun large predators. Wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions will give chase to deer, who rely on speed and agility to survive. The white-tailed deer can sprint as fast as 35 miles per hour; however, he can’t maintain the speed for long periods of time. As a bonus, he’s a great jumper, able to clear a 7-foot height from a standing position and up to 10 feet when running. He can bound well too, covering as much as 30 feet in a single leap.

Habakkuk uses the analogy of a deer to express how God helps him to run like a deer. Life brings many difficulties and problems. Just as a deer uses his speed to outrun his enemies, we can depend upon God to always be near to help us defeat our enemy the devil. A deer is surefooted and very agile. We can navigate the challenges of each day when we trust God to direct our path. Habakkuk knew that God could be trusted to give his followers the strength and confidence to face every difficult situation.

Challenge: We are weak but He is strong. God is able to take care of every problem we encounter. Praise Him for helping you run like a deer and walk on mountains.