The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Haggai 1:6-9, “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!
8 “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD.
9 “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

Sometimes the Old Testament seems difficult to understand when viewed in the context of our own time. Take these verses listed above. They seem absolutely foreign in many ways; yet, if we pause and think carefully, we can see a clear parallel between the days of Haggai and our own time.

It was a time of economic decline. Those who had work received wages, but they were so meagre it was as if they had tossed the coins into a rabbit hole. Could the root of the problem possibly lie somewhere else? Indeed, it could! In fact, it does!

“Consider your ways!” said the LORD. The people had neglected the LORD’s House! Translating that into our time and allowing somewhat the same circumstances, we have grossly neglected the will of the LORD for our lives. It’s not today’s church buildings that concerns the LORD; it’s the our lack of spiritual focus on those around us. It’s our failure to speak to our neighbors and those we meet incidentally in stores as we shop.

Initially, we witness via our attitude toward others. Some we just encounter in our day-by-day “explorations.” It’s stopping someone walking a dog through our neighborhood. It’s returning a wave with a big smile to someone who has waved at us. It’s saying “Hi!” with a smile to some kids riding their bikes up and down the street.

It’s showing genuine sympathy when someone is moving away from the area, or when a family’s in sorrow over losing a loved one. It’s all part of our showing the love of Jesus Christ to those around us.

Of course, it’s even more than all of that. “Building” the LORD’s House is quite different from giving to the Church’s building fund. The real Church is not where people gather to worship. The real Church is the people, who are gathered to worship the LORD.

Although Haggai was looking for a material building where the LORD lived in his day, worship goes much further for us. Reading the Bible is worship. Prayer is worship. Singing is worship. If Christ lives in us, it will be believed when people see that we love them, and want them to know and love Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom