Truly seeking God FIRST:

(This is an unedited Journal / 12-7-07)

        Haggai 1:9, "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house."

          God has deeply dealt with my spirit the past two days concerning if I am truly seeking Him first above all things that I do.  I, like the next Christian, like to pridefuly think how much we seek God, until God comes and reveals that this might not be the case.

         In the book of Haggai God reveals to the returned remnant of Israel, from Babylon, that they are not seeking and living God first.  Several times God says though the prophet "consider" why they think they are way they are.  God asked this question to the people living there who were under hardship.  The crops were not producing and everything seemed to work against them! Then God tells them "why." He tells the people that they "run" to their own house while God's temple lies in ruins! Therefore, the Lord gives the remnant the command to rebuild the house of God.

            Haggai 1:8 "Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the LORD."

            It is interesting the use of words here by God to the people.  Before the people were concerned with "his own house", which meant their own families, business, leisure and personal ambitions first in their life.  In other words, they were not really worshiping God, but the creation (Romans Ch.1:18-25) such as: themselves, their families, and person business, ambitions; these were the gods they worship not Yahweh.  Now God commands the people to concern themselves with something God "takes pleasure in."

            I do not believe this passage is first about the practical idea to build God a beautiful church as our highest priority.  The reason I says this is because God gives direct commentary for what the basic chief goal this building God a temple does: it gives the Lord pleasure and Glorifies Him!

            See before hand the people were seeking to FIRST take care of themselves not the LORD. But that is a major major problem! Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before Me."  The first commandment is to have No other gods before Yahweh.  The Lord Jesus Christ helps to bring more focus to this understanding.  Mark 12:30, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."  Therefore, along side of not having any god before Yahweh also includes in this understanding that this is accomplished primarily by actually and tangibly loving God with everything you have and are.  By this we know what the essence of Idolatry!  Anything you love, think, do, spend time with, desire more than the LORD is idolatry.  How convicting this is to me as I live in this intoxicating American entertainment driven culture!

           Oh, my great and wonderful God, forgive for my idolatry and adultery with is vain wicked world! I so easily even make the little things and such small trivial entertainments of my age into idols.  Give me the strength to turn to Christ in true repentance as my God, my desire my satisfaction, my everything.  My Hope is that His blood never fails me! Amen.

          This was the problem concerning the persons from our passage. They were spending more time, more effort, more of they hearts affections FIRST toward other things! This is idolatry in the sight of our God, who along is Judge and Judges by His own eternal standards. This is why God said nothing was working for them, they were being adulterers.

          Here is God's loving invitation to this disobedient people.  It is the same call to me and all toady in the Lord Jesus Christ in His Gospel of love, purchased by His blood.  Zechariah 1:3 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you." And also by Christ Himself, Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

        Now the question has been answered to how do we begin to stop running to ourselves first and instead run to God first and the things that Glorify Him.  This is by true repentance; "Return to Me."  Repentance means to turn around from what you are doing and start to actually walk in the other direction. So when God says return to Me, He is saying come to Me first in sincere repentance.  This is the beginning step to returning to our great and good God; brokenhearted repentance, a real confession of our sinfulness and pride.

          The words spoken by our Lord Jesus tells us of the next step for how to completely return to the Lord or serve our God in the way that He takes pleasure in it, being Glorified.  "I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  When you admit a guest into your home your attention is now on them; to love and serve them as an honored friend or authority.  This is why Yahweh said, "Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified."  Their time, focus and love is first and altogether filled with concern and actually activity serving and their God.

          Haggai 2:18, "Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid -- consider it: 19 'Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.' "

         The LORD gives very precise conversation about the exact day and month that He will begin to turn around the bad that the people are experiencing; the day the people heard the LORD's call to repentance and the people obeyed and pursued God as the First love and priority in their life.  The LORD wishes to make no mistake why their bad is about to turn to good.  They are forsaking their idols of self and worldliness and now are loving God first and primarily above all.  That means the primary of their time, thoughts, passions, desires, hobbies, friends, money, and life's goals are summed up in one word: God and for His Glory. This is what pleases our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

        Seeking God's will was now in its right place.  It was their first, their life, the sum happiness of their lives.   This was their food: pleasing God and giving Him Glory. The question is now what is our food and drink particularly in light of doing God's will under the umbrella of the Gospel and Glory of Jesus Christ?

        John 6:48,51,54-55, "I am the bread of life... . "I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world... . "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed."

          Eating food and drinking our drink is daily and even our hourly purest both of: pleasure and necessity.  The meaning that our Lord Jesus Christ wishes to make is concerning how we are to relate to Him: is by signifying that He is our food and drink.  He is to be the highest and fully occupying pursuit of both our: pleasure and necessity. But it even gets more specific.  His Flesh is our food and it is His Blood  which is our drink. It was His flesh that was torn, bruised and beaten on the Cross; it was His blood that was spilt and flowed like a fountain under the punishment of His Father on our behalf being cursed on that tree.  Therefore, we are not to find the best and gross of our pleasure and need in a vague God who is merely Creator.  We are to find the sum of our hearts need and pleasure in the person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, crucified for our sins, and raised for justification supplying perfect forgiveness for our sins, and eternal love as we are held in our Heavenly Fathers tender hands.  This is to be our hourly supply of our longing for pleasure and need.

         If not, then idols are in your secret closet of your hearts chambers to which you turn for pleasure and need apart from Christ's Flesh and Blood.  And from that secret love affair your actions proceed, for from abundance of the heart the tongue speaks and your actions find direction.  Whether it be TV, sex, internet, lying, judging others, deceit, manipulation, cheating, plague allegiance to a person, drug, social construct, group, food or even finding pleasure in willingly deceiving yourself or whatever sick and wicked adultery you employ your time, pleasure and treasure toward out side from Christ the Lord, this will manifest itself whether now or latter. 

         Our God will judge in perfect justice, and therefore, will judge all such sin in full vengeance!  Are you prepared to face such a verdict? Can you bear its weight? If you cannot then drop the rotten food this world offers and in full sincere repentance turn to the person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and feast, lavish yourself in His free grace, let this be your all in all, your song, your boast, your hourly food and drank of refleshing love and need.  Come the Father as a needy child and beggar and He has offered His Son to be your treasure, life and eternal reward.  It is the Fathers highest pleasure to Honor His Son.  Therefore, all who come to Him in sincere repentance, faith and love in His Son, He offers Himself to be theirs forever and ever! It is like having the bright warm Sun wrap itself around you, the dark evil creature of the night, so that the Sun's light burns away and removes all your filth and sin, so that the Sun's light becomes yours, the Son's warmth becomes your warmth, the Son's happiness becomes yours forever as a free gift ![1]  To Him be the Glory and Honor and Power forever.  Amen.

  Prayer:         

            "Here I am again my God and Father.  I find myself afraid and violently shaken from the foundation of my frame I as face the monster of my sinfulness and weakness. There is nothing more frightening than having to face the ugliness and hideousness of that three-headed dragon: the dark and secret sinful areas of my own hearts chambers! It is embarrassing, shameful and most difficult to see myself that weak and helpless against my sin. But if You must turn the sunlight of Your gaze on these parts of my life, all I ask is that you would keep in and find me in true belief in Your Precious Son, my Lord Jesus Christ.  For I have heard a report that your Almighty hands of power are also silken, and soft enough to carry me!

            Forgive me, Heavenly Father according to the multitude of mercies your Son purchased for me by His precious Bloodshed given for me, a poor sinner. I am so ashamed of my wickedness and so frightened of my weakness.  Strengthen me by the power of the Holy Spirit within my inner man.  Teach me to make Jesus Christ my hourly food and drink by living, repenting, believing and communioning with Him at the foot of the cross.

             As the years run their race before me I find that the only strength I have is to merely believe and rest in Your Glorious Son.  I confess I can bring nothing else to the table for I am that weak and poor.  All I have is my trust in the Glory of Christ crucified for me, that by His mercy He proves He is Love.  I need nothing more, for therein I find Treasure more than enough for my small soul!

             I know I have too many hideous idols and secret love affairs with this fading world and its fleeting allurements.  Hold me and change me in Your tender Kindness.  Do not blow on me to hard for I am fragile and ready to break.  So I pray, enlarge my heart for Christ and I will run after His commandments.  May the light of His love and grace for me, which I find at Calvary, burn away the chaff of this world from my heart.  But not just for me but also for my church and the elect scattered aboard in the world.  Grant them true repentance, sincere love and steadfast faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of Spirit and light of Your pure word. Send the faithful Shepard's to them. 

            OH LORD if my prayers seem to earth bound; please forgive me, for this old earth up until this point is all I have seen. Yet I know, this to will one-day change unto the Glory and Praise of my Savior!

 

             To the Father the Creator be the Glory, the Son Jesus Christ the Lamb who was slain be the Honor, and the Spirit of power and love be all Majesty forever and ever. Amen."

Sincerely yours: Oshea Davis

[1] Revelation 12:1, "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a (Church) woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars."  Also, Revelation 19:8, "And to (Church) her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."  Furthermore, Matthew 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!